


Birds of Prey

by Bl4ckHunter



Series: The Dar(h)k War Saga [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, Motherhood, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 11:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: After the fall of the Green Arrow and the disappearance of her lover and husband, Laurel has been trying to live a normal life but an unexpected encounter with an old friend forces her to take on the Black Canary's mantle once again as she'll have to wrestle with new responsibilities such as being in a team of extraordinary individuals as well as her own personal issues.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected encounter with an old friend puts Laurel into a whole new adventure as the Black Canary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my sequels to THE DAR(H)K WAR, I have planned more sequels coming but if I'm gonna actually write them depends on the inspiration for them and the time I can find for them.
> 
> If you have not read my fanfiction novel THE DAR(H)K WAR, I recommend reading it, so that you are not confused about some parts in this story. And warning, the updates might be irregular because I've gotta work on stuff from college and I might not get often ideas for how this story will go.
> 
> In case you don't know, the Birds of Prey are a DC Comics female superhero team, which is mainly consisted by Batgirl, Black Canary, Huntress but I do have plan to involve other female characters here as well but that depends on how this will go.
> 
> Hope you have fun

 

**_Bludhaven, five months after the fall of the Green Arrow and Damien Darhk_ **

"Your Honor, all the evidence point directly to Mr. Carver. Any further questions?" Laurel asked.

"None needed. The jury has made a verdict." The judge said as he slammed the hammer.

"Well, I appreciate your help very much, Laurel." A man in early 30s said as he walked down the stairs with Laurel, holding his briefcase.

"No need, Adrian, happy to help a friend."

Adrian chuckled. "They're not as much fancy about the vigilantes here as in Gotham or in Star City, this Nightwing guy should call himself  _Nightmare_ ; as much as I appreciate his help, the cops are trigger happy to put a bullet in him. If you ask me, he may as well replace your ex-boyfriend in Star City." Laurel paused as she was still recovering from her husband's departure as Adrian noticed the sad expression on her face. "Oh, Laurel, I'm sorry, that was a low blow for me."

"It's OK. Really." Laurel said, quickly composing herself as she hid her wedding ring in her hand.

"Look, could you and I maybe go out for dinner or…"

"No." Laurel said politely. "I'm sorry, Adrian, you're a nice guy but I'm really not in for it."

Adrian nodded in understanding.

* * *

Laurel went out from the shower, towels wrapped around her body and her hair as she pulled out the photo, where was Oliver in his suit and Laurel in her white dress, alongside them their friends and family as the tears of sadness streamed down her eyes. Even though her husband and her sister were regularly visiting her from their adventures with the Legends, she missed them being regularly in their life and every time they have returned, they looked a little older, ruffled and scarred than before as the concern for their well-being started to dredge up. And also, there was the issue of her former boyfriend, who was resurrected and brainwashed and even though they had managed to reach to him in the end, he vanished once again and Laurel couldn't help but wonder, where has Tommy been these past few months?

Suddenly, her cellphone buzzed as she picked it up. "Adrian, what is it?"

" _Laurel, you're not gonna believe it but Mr. Carver has been cleared of all charges._ " Adrian said, anger clear in his tone.

"What?" Laurel asked, confused. "How is it…"

" _I don't know but if I had to guess, someone in the office was coerced into it. Right now, the cops are interrogating a secretary here; they threatened her if she didn't falsify the documents…_ "

"I see." Laurel said as she hung up and pulled out from her briefcase a black leather jacket and a collar-like device she had not worn in a while. "Sorry, Dick, I know this is your city but it's my guy and my responsibility."

* * *

_**Later at night** _

The Black Canary was following the mobster in to an industrial district as she saw vans converging in a place and making some kind of a trade as she turned on her sonic device and the thugs covered their ears in panic.

Then one of them looked up and pointed at the vigilante. "There!"

"Isn't that the blonde bitch from Star City?"

"What the hell is she doing here?"

"Who cares? Blast her!"

They pulled out their guns and fired as the Black Canary jumped from one container to another and ran to crane controls on a balcony as a platform of containers fell down.

"Look out!"

The mobsters ran away but one of them fell down on the ground as the rest of them entered their cars and drove away. Black Canary jumped down and neared the mobster on the floor but then took a closer look, the mobster had thinner legs and as she looked at her body, it had female features…

She put down the hat of the mobster and scowled in recognition. " _Barbara_?"

"Laurel." Barbara gasped. "What are you doing here? Do you realize what you've just done?"

Then from the corner rushed in a man with a bulletproof vest and military gear, who happened to be an old friend she had not seen for a while.

"Henry? What's going on?"

"What's going on is that you just allowed a terrorist to get away with an EMP device!" Henry snarled, outraged. "Congratulations, now we might as well charge you for aiding and abetting a terrorist, counselor!"

Laurel groaned at her own impulsiveness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Is it good? Is it bad? Should I continue?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this.


	2. The New Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel joins a new team and one of her close friends gets severely injured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

_**A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven** _

"That's the Black Canary?" One of the guards asked as he looked at Laurel, who was sitting in her cell. "She looks taller in TV."

"Most of the stuff the news talk about is a load of crap."

"You think she's a metahuman? How does she use that scream…"

"From what I heard, she's got this sonic collar she uses and…"

"Why are we even locking her up?"

"I don't know but Director Michaels was pissed as hell from what I… crap, she's coming." The guards stood firmly at their posts as Lyla entered, using an access card and entering Laurel's cell.

"Laurel, I'm so sorry about this, we had no idea you were involved in the arrest of Mr. Carver. This has been all just a large misunderstanding."

"What's going on, Lyla?" Laurel demanded, anger visible on her face.

Lyla sighed. "Give me five minutes to clear things up and then I'll explain everything. All I will tell you right now that you've gotten yourself over your head and angered some very powerful people. I know you had no idea what was going on but they don't care; just to warn you, they want their pound of flesh and it took a lot of persuasion from my side to make sure that it's not you. Just so you know how serious this is."

Laurel nodded as a few minutes later, her cell was opened.

* * *

As Laurel entered the briefing room, where were Lyla, Tatsu, Barbara and Henry, Henry approached her with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about how me and Babs freaked out back there; it's just there's a lot at stake right now."

"It's OK, really." Laurel assured him. "Mind filling me in?"

Henry nodded as he turned on the screen. "Mr. Carver, the guy you arrested. Lowlife smuggler. Recently he's been making contacts with the big league in international circles, some of them former members of H.I.V.E., Bratva, Shadowspire etc., he's been working as a middle man."

"For who exactly? And why?"

"That's what we were supposed to find out last night." Lyla explained as Laurel sighed.

"Look, I said I had no idea…"

"We know that." Tatsu interrupted her. "Nobody's judging you or anything; we just want you to know how serious this is."

Laurel nodded. "Go on."

"Our intel suggests that these people are members of a group calling itself Ninth Circle." Henry explained. "Over the years, they've been keeping low profile but recently, they've been amassing a lot of money, military equipment and hiring mercenaries. For what, where and why, we don't know yet but your guy Carver was supposed to give us some breadcrumbs to follow. One of our suspects, who we believe is a member of the Ninth Circle was purchasing an EMP device from our old friend. Damien Darhk." Henry turned the switch as on the screen showed up Darhk's picture.

"He's dead." Laurel said.

"But Darhk still had pending contracts to fulfill before his demise and while most of H.I.V.E. is crippled, some smaller cells still remain active and we've been tracking them for the last five months." Lyla explained. "Problem is, we can't exactly bring in our agents as we usually do. Did Oliver ever tell you about Mark Shaw?"

Laurel stared, trying to remember. "Yeah, he was the guy who wanted to sell to Darhk confidential intel from A.R.G.U.S. before Ollie and Dig stopped him, right?"

Henry nodded. "Unfortunately, H.I.V.E. had already acquired small part of that intel, so they might know we're onto them."

"Which is where you, Tatsu and I step in." Barbara said as Laurel stared at her before it hit her.

"Wait a minute… you're talking about the Birds of Prey, right?" Laurel scoffed. "That's what you want me to do? No offense but I'm not a spy."

"They don't know about you or me or Hank." Barbara explained. "He's a freelancer, not an actual agent."

Laurel sighed. "I need to think about this."

* * *

Laurel picked up her phone. " _Hey, honey, is everything alright?_ "

"Honestly, I'm not sure, Daddy." Laurel admitted. "Can I ask you about something?"

" _Of course. What is it, sweetheart?_ "

"Do you think I should continue being the Black Canary?"

" _Honey, I thought you wanted a normal life and I thought that Diggle…_ "

"I know, I know." Laurel interrupted him. "It's just that… an old friend might need my help and the only way I could do it would be…" She paused as Quentin sighed.

" _I see. Look, I know you too well to even think about trying to stop you, so here's my advice; do what you believe in your heart is right and whatever happens, be careful and remember that I wouldn't take it if I'd lose you._ "

"Thank you, Daddy." Laurel sighed in relief.

" _I don't even want to know what have you gotten yourself into but promise me that no matter what, you are gonna watch your back; for all our sakes._ "

"I will. I have some friends watching my back." Laurel promised. "How's Diggle doing?"

" _He just told me they had recruited some kid with magical rags._ "

"What?" Laurel scowled.

" _Don't ask, I myself have no idea at all what the hell was he talking about. Sorry, paperwork's coming, I have to go. Love you._ "

"I love you too."

* * *

As Laurel returned, with Lyla was talking a man around 30 years old with short hair, and as he turned to Laurel, a phrase ' _if looks could kill_ ' came to mind.

"Do you have any idea what have you done? Do the words ' _political shitstorm_ ' mean anything to you?"

"Marks, enough!" Lyla stepped in between Laurel and the man. "I'll handle it."

The man shot Laurel a death glare as he snorted and left the room and Laurel glared back right at him. "Sorry about him. He's been after Ninth Circle for a while, this was one of the few chances he could actually cripple them."

"Who was that?" Laurel asked, offended.

Lyla looked at Laurel apologetically. "Ian Marks, CIA, black ops. This was a joint operation and he's our liaison with the agency. Normally he's a nice guy but like I said…"

"This is personal to him." Laurel nodded.

"When he can't fix things as soon as possible, he tends to get his feelings get the better out of him." Lyla nodded back as Laurel nodded again, as his personality reminded the latter of her husband.

* * *

_**Elsewhere in Bludhaven** _

A cellphone rang as a naked woman on the bed picked it up and yawned. "Yeah? What? Jesus, it's three in the morning. What, you want me to call them now? Are you serious? Hell, no, you know what, you can go f…"

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound_ **

Lyla widened her eyes as she put the phone away from her ear and before she could speak up, the caller hung up.

"Wow, and here I thought you were just exaggerating about her tempter." Lyla quipped as she turned to Laurel.

"She said ' _no_ '?" Laurel asked.

"Using some very colorful words in between sentences." Lyla nodded.

"Of course she did." Laurel sighed.

* * *

_**Elsewhere in Bludhaven** _

"Who was that?" A muscular man in her bed asked.

"No one. Just... an old friend wanted a favor and I said ' _no_ '." The woman said.

"The only time you swear is if it's about your Dad or the mob. What's going on?".

"Nothing." The woman kissed her lover. "Let's just enjoy the night, Dick."

"OK, Helena."

* * *

_**A.R.G.U.S. compound** _

"What are we going to do then? Some of Bertinelli's have run to Bludhaven since Tobias Church chased those who wouldn't join him, away." Tatsu said.

"Dig and his team have been having trouble with this guy lately." Laurel nodded. "Helena won't reach out to her old contacts in the family but there may be another way. But I need to call a friend."

* * *

_**District Attorney's Office** _

"Adrian Chase, Assistant District Attorney, Bludhaven." Adrian said as he picked up the phone and drank a mug of coffee.

" _Adrian, could you please e-mail me a copy of what we've got on Mr. Carver's case? Maybe there's a way to bring him down again but I need to look over this thing to be sure._ " Laurel said.

Adrian paused, looking around. "OK, I'll see what I can do. Hey, and what about that dinner? Have you made up your mind?"

" _Something has come up and I'm not sure if I'll have time but I promise I'll think about it._ "

"OK." Adrian smiled, confused for a moment but decided to shrug it off before hanging up and turning on his computer.

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound_ **

"OK, our analysts are going through the e-mail." Henry informed Laurel as they were eating lunch. "Honestly, I missed us working together if you ask me."

"Can't say I didn't." Laurel nodded, smiling as she tasted the chicken.

"How about Ollie and Sara?" Henry asked.

"They're fine. But from what they told me, they're chasing Damien Darhk." Laurel said.

Henry blinked. "How? I thought he was dead."

"I don't know but apparently, he has been working together with a time traveler. It's actually his past version the Legends are after." Laurel admitted.

"Of course. Time traveling." Henry grumbled. "I miss them both, you know. But I guess they visit you more often than me, I haven't seen either of them for a month. And… I miss Sara a lot... really…"

Laurel then noticed the look and the smile on his face before it all clicked. "Oh. You two have been…"

Henry shrugged and blushed. "For a while, yeah."

Laurel laughed. "That's why you two were late on the wedding. I'm glad for both of you, really."

"Look, I guess she made me happy like I haven't been for a long time but… we both decided to call this thing off not long before she left with Ollie." Henry admitted sadly as Laurel's smile turned into a scowl.

"What? Why? What happened?"

"No offense to you and Ollie, you two have been close for God knows how long but… I guess neither of us believed that considering that she's a member of team of time travelers, that this thing between us could work. I mean, this kind of long distance relationship between a former assassin and an ex-investigator-for-hire wouldn't work out. But I miss her, you know." He said with a smile.

"Why not give it another shot? I mean, I think you two could make it work somehow." Laurel suggested.

For a brief moment, Henry stared at Laurel in consideration. "Maybe… we'll see."

"Nicole has been worried, you know. For a while she thought you were in jail before you called her."

"I know." Henry nodded guiltily. "I guess we've been too busy, I haven't had time to give at least a small thought to my family."

Barbara then entered the cantina as she looked at Laurel and Henry. "Hey, briefing is in ten minutes."

* * *

"Do we have something?" Laurel asked as she, Barbara and Henry entered the briefing room, where already was Lyla, Tatsu, Ian and at the computer a young girl with dark complexion.

Lyla nodded as she introduced Laurel to the girl. "Laurel, meet Naomi Singh, she and Fyff are our tech support and to answer your question: A little, from what your friend Chase sent us. We managed to ID one of the guys who was at the trade that you busted up, and we got a word that he scooped up a deal with the CIA with a valuable intel in exchange for protection from Ninth Circle, apparently, they scare the hell out of him, so he turned himself in. Problem is, he vanished a couple of days ago from their custody."

"How do we know it's not just some psycho with some sick sense of humor?" Laurel asked before she and Henry noticed how were Lyla, Ian, Tatsu and Barbara looking at each other. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Lyla then turned to Henry, speaking up with a  _very_  serious tone. "Fyff. No matter what happens next, you need to promise us you won't do anything stupid and you will keep your head calm."

"What's going on, Lyla?" Henry asked, slightly angered.

"Dude's name is Elliott Reed. Does that ring any bell?" Naomi asked as on the screen turned on a picture of a man, slightly bearded with grey hair and Henry seethed and Barbara scooted away slightly as she noticed the look on his face.

"Hank…" Barbara tried to hold his hand gently.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Laurel asked, worry in her tone.

"What we need to know is what would make a former rogue U.S. Special Forces operative and a smuggler and an arms dealer turn in to CIA not long after a criminal organization started to prepare something big." Lyla intervened.

"With all due respect, Michaels, shouldn't we just leave the interrogation to the CIA?" Ian intervened.

"This is too serious to let it fall into other hands and A.R.G.U.S. and CIA don't exactly go along." Lyla explained. "And even though we tried playing nice, they said that they haven't heard a word from him for a while but they have it under control and will extract him soon." She said in a tone that made the current situation obvious.

"Wait, would someone mind filling the blanks for the rest of us?" Naomi asked. "Who's Elliott Reed?"

"Elliott Reed arranged the means to kill me, he provided  _somebody_  a car to ram mine seven years ago, and my daughter died instead. He was a high-ranking agent of Shadowspire." Henry said, trying to keep his voice leveled but Lyla, Laurel, Tatsu and Barbara have already known him long enough to know when he lets his feelings get the better out of him.

"Whoa…" Naomi stared. "How is this guy even still alive?"

"Good question." Henry growled, shooting a glare at Barbara, who wasn't affected by his gaze at all.

"Let me guess, you need us to extract him." Laurel realized.

"By the time CIA will make the move, it will be too late." Lyla nodded and turned to Ian before he could protest. "Don't even try to defend them, Marks."

"Where is this guy?" Tatsu asked as Lyla turned to Ian, who typed something into the computer and on the screen turned on a small neighborhood.

"Not far away from Bludhaven. There's an industrial township, currently abandoned but it's a good place for smugglers and weapons trades, heavily fortified currently."

"Reminds me of when Brick took over the Glades." Laurel noted as she saw the surveillance pictures.

Lyla nodded. "The police doesn't want to risk large casualties and as long as they stay away from Bludhaven, they don't care what's going on."

"Sneak in, snatch him, get out quickly. Sounds easy." Laurel shrugged.

"I'm going in too." Henry stepped up.

"No, you're not, Fyff." Lyla said with a harsh tone as she shot Henry a glare. "I'm not gonna let your personal feelings…"

"I can keep my emotions in check this time, Lyla." Henry said with a stubborn tone and Barbara growled in frustration.

"You're not gonna talk him away from this. And don't even try to lock him up, it will end in blood and broken bones."

Lyla sighed as she turned to Laurel. "Just make sure he won't do anything stupid." Laurel nodded. "Barbara's coming with you too and Marks and Tatsu will help with providing cover and extraction. And to be clear, we're talking about extracting and  _not_  killing, we need him alive, OK?"

"Can't promise I'll bring him back in one piece though." Henry muttered as he went to gear up and Laurel, Ian, Barbara, Tatsu and Lyla groaned.

"We're gonna regret this."

* * *

_**Outside Bludhaven** _

Henry and Laurel drove the truck to the security checkpoint as a mobster aimed his gun at them. "What is it?"

"A shipment of Stardust from Star City. We took what remained before a vigilante shut us down."

Another mobster entered as he checked one of the boxes, where were syringes full of pink liquid as he nodded. "Looks clear."

Barbara was hanging from the ceiling of the container, hoping the mobster would not look up.

"OK, leave it in Dock 42 and then someone will pick it up."

"Thanks." Henry said as he drove deeper into the district and parked the truck in a warehouse. He then put on his gear as Laurel put on her wig and mask and Barbara suited up. They snuck past the guards in the warehouse as they heard Tatsu through the comms.

" _In position. Heavily fortified but you might be able to sneak in just fine._ "

"Just like old times, is it, birdie?" Henry quipped as he put on what seemed to be like night vision goggles.

"Yeah." Black Canary nodded as they followed to Tatsu's location and observed what seemed to be like a police station. "Are you serious?"

"Makes sense. It's the most secure place here. A lot of cells, a lot of guns. Hard place to break into or out." Batgirl nodded. She snuck in using a grapnel gun on the balcony and knocked out one of the guards, grabbing him in chokehold while Black Canary and Henry went through the window to the basement, going in and trying to sneak their way past the guards and knocking them out if necessary. Then they broke into CCTV room inside as Henry plugged in a small device into the computer and hacked in.

"Interrogation room. Figures." Black Canary muttered but gasped at the sight of what was happening.

The man was restrained to a chair, with his feet dumped in a bucket of water as some men were attaching some electrodes to the man's chest as he groaned, being electrocuted.

"Just wish I could do it myself." Seeker growled.

Batgirl nudged him as she shot him a glare. "We need him alive."

"Nobody said anything about in one piece only."

Batgirl's glare intensified. "Hank…"

"Kidding."

Black Canary shook her head as they made their way past more guards and knocking some of them out as they neared the interrogation room, knocking another guard out as they were watching.

" _One more time, why did you run to CIA?_ "

" _I already told you, it has nothing to do with you, I swear to Go…_ " He groaned as they electrocuted him again.

" _So you're saying we're not important enough to turn us in, is that it?_ "

" _No! That's not what I was saying, what I was saying was that… aaghh!_ " Reed screamed again as they electrocuted him again.

" _You know what, you talk too much!_ "

" _But I thought you wanted me to…_ "

" _Don't think, it only gets you into trouble… but hearing him scream is a lot of fun._ "

" _No, no, stop, OK! OK! I told them everything, OK? I told them everything I knew, for fuck's sake!_ "

"It's fun to watch but I guess that's our cue to step in." Seeker said.

"Yeah." Black Canary turned on her sonic device as the high pitch sound went off and the two-way mirror shattered and the mercenaries and Reed groaned as his vision blurred for a brief moment, seeing swift movements taking down his interrogators as he sighed in relief.

"Thank you. Thank you. Who are you? CIA?" Then as his vision cleared, he noticed two women, one of them a blonde wearing black leather suit and an eye mask, a girl with a cape and a bat mask and a man in bulletproof vest and military gear and as he looked into his face… "Oh, you have gotta be fucking kidding me!" Reed tried to jump out from his chair as Seeker kicked him and he groaned, being still restrained to it. "Look, Fyff, if this is about Rubicon…"

"Shut up!" Seeker snarled as he pulled out a knife and Batgirl was ready to intervene but realized that her friend just cut the restraints off and put the man on his feet, to his surprise.

"You're here to save me?" Reed said, shocked.

"We're here to save what you know. Play nice, if you want to make it out of here in one piece." Seeker growled as Reed nodded.

"Holy shit, you're here to save me…"

" _You need to get out of there now, their men are closing in on your position, they know something's wrong._ " Lyla said over the comms.

"Copy that."

"I'll cover you, just get him out of here." Batgirl said as she looked over Black Canary. "Make sure he won't beat him much."

Black Canary nodded as she accompanied Seeker and Reed outside while Batgirl went downstairs and threw small discs that disabled the nearing vehicles with an EMP pulse.

"There!" One of the men nearing shouted as Black Canary, Reed and Seeker took cover. Seeker pulled out his gun and kneecapped one of the mercenaries while Black Canary jumped over the counter and engaged another one with her nightstick, taking him down but a taller and muscular mercenary grabbed her by her throat as she choked out while Seeker threw a small box on his head, distracting him while Black Canary grabbed a kettle from a desk and bashed the man in his head three times to knock him out.

They then heard Ian over the comms. " _I'm right outside, get on the roof now!_ "

"Copy that." Black Canary said as Seeker grabbed a laptop from the desk.

"We might be able to pull some intel out of this thing."

Black Canary and Seeker fought through more mercenaries as they got up on the roof while Batgirl flied up with her grapnel gun and to their surprise, somebody had already dispatched of the guards on the rooftop.

"Didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?" Huntress asked, amused as Nightwing holstered his batons.

"Had to persuade her a bit." Nightwing explained as Batgirl, Seeker and Black Canary laughed and the chopper was flying above their heads, rolling down a rope ladder.

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound_ **

"You're joining us then?" Laurel asked.

"I'm not a team player but Dick thinks I could do something more with my life and this is my chance. Let's just say I'm giving this whole thing a shot." Helena said.

"How about this Reed guy?" Barbara asked Lyla.

"Ian is still processing him." Lyla explained.

* * *

"Do you have anything from that laptop?" Laurel asked Henry.

"Nothing yet." Henry shook his head. "It's heavily encrypted and they put a lot of fail-safes in that thing."

Laurel looked at the analysis on the screen before an alarm went off from the damaged laptop they had acquired.

"What the…"

"I didn't do anything!"

"It wasn't you." Henry assured her before looking at the screen and as he eyeballed the code on it… "Oh, shit!" He pressed the alert and grabbed Laurel's hand. "Get out of here, go, go, go!"

"What?"

"It's not a laptop, it's a bomb! Run!" Henry yelled as he grabbed Laurel's hand as they together with the technicians tried to run away from the lab as the blast doors were closing but the very first one in the lab was stuck as Henry pushed Laurel forward before the other door closed.

"Henry, what are you doing?" Laurel yelled.

" _If I don't close this door, the other one are gonna blast out and you're gonna get hurt! I have to close it!_ " Henry explained through the blast door.

"No, Henry, you don't have to do this!" Laurel protested but she saw Henry run back through the window as she watched in despair.

" _Fyff, what the hell are you doing? Get out of there!_ " Lyla ordered through the P.A. system.

* * *

"Can you open the door?" Helena asked.

"Not without Laurel getting hurt." Barbara shook her head.

* * *

Henry pulled the lever as the door were closing but the explosion managed to shatter the window as he and Laurel were pushed back by the force of the blast and as Laurel coughed up and recovered, while her vision cleared and the smoke dissipated, she looked around the debris and saw Henry under a pile of concrete.

"Henry, are you OK?"

Henry groaned as he turned to Laurel. "Laurel…"

"You're gonna be fine, OK."

"I… I can't move…"

"Don't worry…" Laurel said as she put down the debris but gasped in shock as a sudden déjà vu hit her as she saw a piece of rebar sticking out of her friend's chest and the tears were spilling out quickly. "God, no…" Laurel held Henry's hand in despair. "Just stay awake, OK? You can get through this."

Henry glanced down on his chest and realized this might be his last moments of life as he turned to Laurel. "Nicky… she…"

"No, don't even try this on me, OK? I won't let you die." Laurel said, more to herself than to him.

"Just tell her and Riley… I love them… no matter what… and to Sara… that I wish we had more time…"

"You can tell them yourself, you hear me? You can get through this." Laurel tried to assure him but Henry's eyes were closing slowly. "No, no… Henry… it should have been me!" She sobbed. "Open your eyes, Henry! Open your eyes!"

A few seconds later, the medics rushed in, getting Henry out of the debris carefully and trying to slow down the bleeding as they put him on a gurney.

* * *

Laurel, Barbara, Helena and Tatsu were waiting desperately in the corridor while the surgeons were working on Henry and Barbara's face was wet because of tears as she remembered Henry's car accident, when he lost his daughter.

Then Lyla showed up, with an unreadable expression on her face as Laurel stood up.

"How is he?"

Lyla just took a breath and in a simple tone she asked. "Does anyone of you have contact on his sister?"

* * *

_**Waverider** _

An alert pinged as Sara and Oliver turned their attention to the screen. "What is it, Gideon?"

" _You have asked me to keep an eye if something had happened to your close ones during history that would pique your interest and I believe I may have found such thing._ "

The screen turned on as Oliver felt like if he had been punched into the gut and Sara gasped, covering her mouth and barely able to hold back her tears.

"Oh God…"

* * *

_**Gotham City** _

"I should tell her. She's one of my best friends…"

"It was my fault, I should have been more careful…"

"It wasn't your fault, you could not have known what would happen."

"But he was helping me. It should come from me."

Barbara sighed. "I was there when my Dad told her about Hank and Ashley being in a car accident. It almost destroyed her. And I'd hate to put her through that hell again."

"That's why it's going to come from me." Laurel decided as she went out of her car to approach the house.

* * *

A blonde girl in mid 30s was cooking dinner for her son in the kitchen as the doorbell rang and she opened the door and smiled.

"Laurel."

"Hey, Nicky."

"I thought you and Ollie were going to visit me with Hank and Sara for dinner next week."

"I need to talk to you. It's… there's no easy way to say this." Laurel said as Nicole sighed.

"Holy God, not again…" Then she turned to the living room and talked to her son. "Honey, can you please go upstairs? I need to talk to somebody in private."

"Uncle Hank's in jail again, is he?"

"Now, Riley." Nicole ordered as her son nodded and went upstairs as she turned to Laurel and went out on the front porch. "What has he done now?"

"Nicole…" Laurel paused, trying to find the right words. "There's… there's no easy way to say this."

Nicole just snorted. "Look, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he had made a gender alignment surgery or if he was in deep with Bratva and owed them a lot of money."

"Nicole, I'm serious. And I need you to listen to me very carefully." Laurel said harshly as Nicole scowled.

"OK, now you're scaring me. What happened?"

Laurel took a breath. "We were on a mission and Henry was helping us process some information… but… what we found was a setup. A trap. And… your brother tried to save as many people as he could but also tried to make sure there's as little damage as possible. There was a bomb and he…"

Suddenly, Nicole felt like she had been hit in the stomach as she shook her head and her eyes were getting wet. "No. Laurel, no."

"Nicole, I need you to listen to me and stay strong, no matter what, OK?"

"No, I don't want to hear it, Laurel."

"Nicky, please…"

"No, don't say it, please, Laurel…" Nicole begged.

"You need to hear me out…"

"No, not again, Hank, please, God, no! Not again!" Nicole lost it at that point as she sobbed into Laurel's shoulder hysterically, who hugged her, while trying to keep her own tears at bay.

In the distance, Barbara was putting down her glasses as she cried, remembering when her father had visited them about Henry being in a car accident.

* * *

_**Seven years ago** _

_"I hate physics." Nicole groaned. "Thank God you're here."_

_Barbara smiled. "You're my friend, you know I'd do anything."_

_"At least your Mom babysits Riley. I hope Hank and Ashley have a good time on their fishing trip."_

_Then the doorbell rang as Barbara went to open the door and blinked in surprise._

_"Dad."_

_"Is Nicole at home? I need to talk to her." Commissioner Gordon said with a grim look on his face._

_"Is everything OK, Jim?" Nicole asked as she stood up._

_"Could we please talk in the kitchen?" Commissioner accompanied Nicole to the kitchen and Barbara read from his lips something about Ashley and car accident as Nicole was frantically shaking her head and getting hysterical quickly, while Detective Harvey Bullock was putting Barbara outside._

_"What's going on?"_

_"Her brother Henry. He and his daughter were in a car accident. Ashley didn't make it."_

_Barbara gasped as she felt a gut punch and started to cry slowly._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dead? Not dead? You're just gonna have to wait to find out.
> 
> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	3. The Briefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Laurel copes with the current state of her friend, her family comes for support and Lyla assigns her, Barbara, Helena and Tatsu on a new mission as they need to rescue an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

Laurel and Barbara accompanied Nicole to the hospital room where Henry was and at the sight of him, his sister covered her mouth, looking at her brother so severely injured on bed, with a breathing tube attached to his throat as she tried to hold more tears from her eyes.

"God…" Nicole sobbed out. "Not again… it's even worse than the last time…"

"He's gonna pull through, Nicky. He has to. You of all people know he's too stubborn to die." Barbara said as she held her arms.

"Can… Can I go in?" Nicole asked and Laurel and Barbara nodded as they accompanied her inside and Nicole held her brother's hand.

"Hey, Hank." Nicole tried to laugh but due to her current state she was unable to sound convincing. "I should have known you would pull through. You're too stubborn to die. Always have been." Barbara smiled at that. "You used to be fat when we were kids, the guys at school were picking on you and you were too slow to outrun them, so instead you tried to fight them and half the time you ended up with a bruised eye but you gave them hell too. But I had to step in and make them back off. Nobody messes with my baby brother." Even Laurel had to chuckle at that. "And then you exercised a lot and started to train self-defense; you wanted to become a cop. Instead you became an investigator-for-hire and a hacker; you studied and trained a lot, you wanted to make things better and provide some living for us… and for Mary and Ashley." She laughed for a moment. "I've kept telling you that you could not do this forever; that sooner or later, something like that would happen again. I wish you had listened to me. But you always have to play a hero, do you? Anything to make this world a better place for us. I know what I've been saying about what you're doing but… I think there's no better job that would fit you.

But I'll always worry about you, OK? You'll always be my little brother, no matter what." She kissed Henry on his forehead as she wiped her wet cheeks and got up and turned to Laurel and Barbara.

"Promise me that you'll find whoever did this and make sure he faces justice. Please, Laurel." Nicole begged and Laurel and Barbara nodded.

"He won't be on the run for long." Laurel promised and Nicole hugged her.

"Thanks. I… I should go pick up Riley. He needs to know that Uncle Hank's OK." Nicole said as she left but at the door, she stopped. " _Ollie…_ "

"How is he?" Oliver asked as Laurel and Barbara turned around to see him and Sara at the door.

"Is he alright?" Sara asked.

Nicole sighed. "You better see for yourselves. I honestly hope he gets through this." She said as she walked away.

Laurel approached her husband and sister and hugged them both as they returned the hug. "Thank God you're both here."

"You know we're always here for you, Laurel." Oliver said before Laurel blinked.

"I thought that…"

"Barry's friend." Oliver explained. "He has this toy that helps me conceal my face, you can see the real me but the others…"

Laurel nodded as Oliver and Sara entered, pain flooding as they saw their friend injured.

"Oh God." Sara breathed out as she held Henry's hand. "Henry…"

"He has pulled through this once, he can pull through this again. Don't worry, Sara." Barbara assured her.

Sara sighed. "I guess this means rain check on the dinner, huh?" She said humorously. "I don't know if you can hear me, Henry… but… I'm sorry I wasn't there more for you. Whatever had happened between us… I haven't felt so happy for a long time and I know that neither have you. Maybe if you ever recover, we can give this whole thing another chance, huh?"

Suddenly, they could swear they heard Henry laugh weakly and Sara could swear, she felt Henry's fingers moving as his eyes opened slowly.

"Am… am I… in Heaven?" Henry whispered. "I… I could swear… I'm looking at an angel…" He said weakly as he turned to Sara.

Barbara, Oliver and Laurel laughed briefly as Sara embraced Henry gently.

"At least your sense of humor remains intact." Barbara said, wiping her cheeks.

"Don't scare us like that again, you dumbass." Oliver laughed out.

"Idiot." Henry growled mockingly.

"Jerk." Oliver shot back, laughing.

"I… I hate hospitals…" Henry whispered. "How bad is it?"

"You're lucky that the rebar didn't pierce your heart or any other major organs, otherwise you'd be dead right now." Barbara explained. "But your leg's a mess. It took four surgeries to patch it up. You won't be able to walk properly for a while."

"As long as I'm not on a wheelchair, I'm not worried." Henry said sarcastically before realizing what he had just said as his expression softened. "Sorry, that was a low blow."

"It's OK." Barbara chuckled.

"Who did this?" Oliver asked.

"They call themselves Ninth Circle. They've shown up following the fall of H.I.V.E." Laurel explained. "We don't know what they're planning but it's not good. We thought we had a lead but it was a trap."

"If anyone can stop them, I'm sure it's you." Oliver assured his wife as he held her by her arms.

"How's your team doing?" Laurel asked.

"It's… we're working it out. Don't worry about us, promise me you'll be careful and take them down." Oliver asked as Laurel nodded.

"I will." They both kissed each other. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Sara…" Henry held her hand as she turned to him. "I know what you said and I know this might not work out between us… but… would you like to give this whole thing another shot? I want to try at least. Maybe a dinner, once I get out of here." Sara turned to her sister and her brother-in-law, considering before turning to Henry again.

"Maybe… just get better first, OK?" Sara kissed him as he returned the kiss back and Oliver and Laurel smiled at both of them.

* * *

_**A.R.G.U.S.** _

"What do we have from Mr. Reed?" Laurel asked.

"He recently sold weapons to Ninth Circle; a missile launcher, AK-47s, you name it, for a top dollar but what he didn't know was that they were planning to attack an U.S. military base; they assaulted Guantanamo last week; until now, we've had no official confirmation it was the Ninth Circle." Lyla explained. "And from what he told us, looks like the cash came from an account in Monte Carlo." She turned on the screen.

"John King, third richest man in America right after Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor." Naomi explained.

"I've read about him." Helena nodded.

"Bruce talks a lot about him." Barbara added. "He says he's very charismatic but sort of… off."

"Humanitarian billionaire. He's spent his life and wealth improving the cities of United States; he helped contributing in renovating Star City after the Undertaking and the Siege, also helped rebuild Gotham but we suspect it's a façade. He has questionable business partners; he was in H.I.V.E.'s pocket for example, we suspect he is a banker of the most dangerous men on Earth. For example, we back-traced the money that Mercy Graves had acquired from H.I.V.E. and from Milo Armitage when he wanted to purchase Malcolm Merlyn's earthquake device back to him, the cash went through at least six dummy corporations."

"I read that his wife was murdered." Laurel remembered.

"Stabbed to death three months ago, they haven't caught the man who did it." Lyla nodded. "Left with a daughter, Mia. Been seeing a PTSD counselor since then." She pulled out another picture of a teenage girl as sadness took Laurel over.

"She looks a little like Tommy when his Mom died and like Thea right after the Gambit."

"The authorities recently received a message that King was planning something; that message came from a dummy e-mail set up by Mia but when the FBI interrogated her, she denied ever sending the mail; our best guess is that she's too scared of her father. Last week, she ran away from home." Ian said upon entering. "King's been hellbent on tracking her down since then and he's keeping the whole ' _daughter missing_ ' thing hush-hush to avoid potential scandal. And he also hired a hacker to back-trace and stop anyone who'd go after him and the Ninth Circle, which explains the virus hidden in that laptop you found; whoever invented that thing was good, they knew how to cover the scent and no one would know what was in that thing until it was too late."

"They almost killed one of my best friends." Barbara snapped.

"We're gonna find them." Laurel promised.

"Funny thing is, not long after you freed Mr. Reed, some hacker had siphoned a lot of zeroes off King's private fund through dozens of dummy corporations, using the same code that was in that booby-trapped laptop, guessing that person had a change of heart." Lyla explained. "And it was like this person wanted us to find him, or her."

"You think this is a trap?" Tatsu asked.

"I don't know but a lot of assassins in Seattle have become active from what we can gather, I'm guessing King wants this hacker really bad." Lyla said.

* * *

_**Elsewhere** _

"Have you found them?" A man around 40 years old asked, drinking his scotch in his apartment.

"No, sir, they were able to wipe most of their tracks, Mr. King but I believe we have a name."

"Who is it?"

"Felicity Smoak. It took some effort but we were able to back-trace the signature in the virus in our system."

"Nobody steals from me or my clients without consequences. Use any means necessary."

"Yes, Mr. King."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but I'm getting inspired by Green Arrow (The New 52) and some older Birds of Prey comic book series, so I just could not resist involving Felicity, since something similar happened to her in the comics. Don't worry, before you start thinking that, she's not joining the team but as usual, her stupidity backfires big time on her, so it's up to an old friend to save her ass once again.
> 
> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	4. Party Crashers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Birds of Prey infiltrate a party but they run upon a new threat as Mia and Felicity are on the run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

**_Pioneer Square, Seattle_ **

A girl in beige hoodie with a young dark-haired boy were pacing down the street before the girl bumped into a tall man. "Sorry, my bad, wasn't looking." As the two kids kept going, the girl pulled out a wallet, checking its contents. "Only fifty bucks. Crap."

"Chill, Mia." The boy said. "This will keep us fed for three days at least."

"I wouldn't have to steal it in the first place if you didn't blow our cash so you could get high…" Mia grumbled.

"Yeah, well…" The boy shrugged. "You're good at it. You're  _Speedy_."

"Don't call me that. And also, you shouldn't have to rely on anybody. Nobody cares about people like us on the street, we're invisible to everyone…" Suddenly, three men in black suits and glasses approached her. " _But maybe not invisible enough…_ "

"Mia Dearden. No more running, you're coming with us."

"Easy way or the hard way."

"Though it'll be  _the hardest_  for your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." Mia growled as they pulled out their stun guns and she used the boy as a human shield. "You can have him!" Then she jumped through an alley as a skilled athlete and then climbed up the wall.

"Boss is gonna be pissed that we lost her."

"Be glad he hasn't sent the other guy. He's not that subtle."

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven_ **

Barbara was looking over the code that the forensics pulled out from the virus in King's system as she narrowed her eyes. ' _There was something familiar about this…_ '

* * *

**_Hospital room, Bludhaven_ **

Henry was watching a film on his laptop in his room as his phone buzzed. "Yeah? Is everything OK, Babs?"

" _Hank, I'm sending you a mail. There's a hacker we're after and I think I might know who are we dealing with but I need to be sure. Let me know if you have seen this code before._ "

"Got it." Henry said as he opened the mailbox and eyeballed the file she had sent him and widened his eyes. "You gotta be kidding me. Laurel and Lyla are gonna freak out when they find out."

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound_ **

"Are you serious?!" Lyla yelled, shocked. "Why the hell would she do something so stupid?!"

"It's Felicity we're talking about." Laurel reminded. "She jumps before looking down and has a temper of a teenage girl."

"And now half of the hitmen in Seattle are gunning for her." Lyla groaned. "We need to find her before King does and find out what does she know about the Ninth Circle."

"Yeah but  _how_? We'd have to jack into King's mainframe somehow and we can't do it without him back-tracing it to us. At least not in short time without Felicity getting killed." Barbara said.

"I think I may have an idea." Helena said. "My cousin, he's been doing more legitimate business than my Dad used to, coincidentally in Seattle and he's got an invitation to King's fundraiser he's doing in three days. I think I could convince him to arrange a few plus ones."

"Laurel, Helena, Barbara, you're going in, undercover. Ian and Tatsu will provide cover if something goes wrong."

Naomi showed up with a small rectangle device. "Plug this baby into King's mainframe and in few minutes we'll get everything he has on Ninth Circle."

"And with any luck, we'll find Felicity before they do." Laurel nodded.

* * *

**_Later, Kingdom Corp Tower, Seattle_ **

"So, what's our cover story?" Laurel, in red dress asked as she and Barbara in blue dress were following Helena and her cousin wearing suit.

"Simple, Helena's cousin is considering running a small business in town, not wanting to do with anything with Star City or the mob since Tobias Church took over and she's helping looking for an investor. I'm helping setting up IT stuff for them and you're here on an invite from a friend to deal with the ' _death_ ' of your boyfriend." Laurel scowled and glared at Barbara, who frowned apologetically. "Sorry, it was the best we could come up with in such short time."

"Name." The guard said as he pulled out a name list.

"Pino Bertinelli."

"Plus three?" The guard raised his brows and discreetly gave him a thumbs up as he let them through.

"I guess he thinks we're supermodels or something." Laurel snickered as she saw the shameless look the guard was giving them as they passed by and Barbara giggled for a moment.

* * *

Laurel and Barbara went into the bathroom as the latter was stripping her dress and Laurel opened her bag.

"Remember the plan?" Barbara asked.

"Yeah, mingle and distract King and his guests, while you'll sneak through the vents and hack into his mainframe, then we get the hell out before anything happens and no one will be the wiser." Laurel nodded while handing her a catsuit and Barbara was putting it on, then Laurel gave her a support as she opened the hatch on the ceiling.

"With any luck, we'll have Felicity's location soon enough. Once I get it, I'll let you know." Barbara said, closing the hatch as she climbed up.

* * *

Helena and her cousin were mingling with other guests while Laurel was passing down the hall as some people looked at her shamelessly, admiring her and Laurel suddenly felt uncomfortable as she blushed slightly as one of the men in suit approached her.

"What does such a beautiful woman as you do here, alone?"

Laurel tried to quickly come up with an excuse. "I…" She straightened her back and suddenly stumbled back as she felt dizzy as the man caught her.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

"I…" Laurel quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "Sorry, just… I guess I'm light-weighted, I think that champagne was stronger than I had thought." She said, feigning being drunk as the man nodded.

"I think you need to sit down for a moment." The man had accompanied her to a nearby table. "Finest vintage by the way, not many people can appreciate its taste." Laurel then looked closely at the man as she realized who was helping her. "John King, I'm responsible for this benefit and I would not forgive myself if anyone with such beauty as you do have would come to harm because of me."

Laurel hesitated for a moment, stunned before remembering to keep the act. "Lau… Laurel. Laurel Lance." She shook her hand with his as the man stared at her, measuring her.

" _Lance_ … any relation to Mayor Quentin Lance of Star City?"

"My father." Laurel nodded as King suddenly raised his brows, remembering.

"Your boyfriend Oliver Queen was the guardian of Star City, am I correct?" Laurel nodded, trying to keep the act and control herself. "It must have been quite a shock for you, to find out that the man who had betrayed you years ago and then you two found your way back to each other, only to be separated so tragically, was the vigilante."

"He was a hero at the end. And I'll always remember him that way. In the end, he was the man that I once loved and I'll never forget him." Laurel said with conviction in her tone.

"Loyalty to your loved ones. Bond that should never be broken, no matter what. I hope you will enjoy the party." King said honestly.

" _Got it. I'll have to find another way out though, they're guarding the passage I went through._ " Barbara said. " _If something happens, I'll let you know. Ian, Tatsu, I need you to go to the southern side of the building and cover me._ "

" _Copy that._ "

"We're on our way." Laurel said.

* * *

As they were driving down the road with the car, Laurel chuckled. "Well, that was easy."

"Let's hope we can use the data to find Felicity before the Ninth Circle will." Barbara said.

Suddenly, on the road stood a man in a hood and a mask holding a bow as Barbara stopped the car.

"What the…" Barbara whispered.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Helena muttered.

"He's not from the League." Tatsu said.

"And it can't be Prometheus either." Laurel agreed.

"Get ready." Barbara warned as they stared at the hooded figure.

The man notched an arrow and fired as it shattered the front and back window, barely missing the girls.

"That's not good." Barbara said as she and Tatsu went out of the car, putting on their masks, Barbara pulling out batons and Tatsu pulling out her sword, engaging the man but he was fast and skilled, though they managed to land some critical strikes as he knelt down briefly but then he spun around, cutting the fabric of their dresses, barely missing the flesh. Helena and Laurel went out, with their masks on as Helena fired with her crossbow, shooting the sword off the man. Laurel was about to engage him but suddenly, she felt dizzy again as she knelt down and vomited. The man realized he was outnumbered and he ran to the edge of the road and jumped down.

"Who the hell was that?" Helena asked.

"Laurel, are you OK?" Barbara asked as Laurel was on her knees, coughing up vomit. All the girls looked at her, worried as a dreadful thought hit them. "I think someone should check in on her once we get back. Something tells me I know what's with her."

"God, no… not now…" Laurel's eyes were getting wet.

Helena then knelt to her and held her hand, assuring her. "Laurel, we will figure this out."

* * *

_**Kingdom Corp Tower** _

"Again, somebody dared to break in. You were right to recommend I'd hire an assassin." King said as he was in his office.

"But someone so unstable… are you certain?" A woman, whose face was covered in shadow asked, with a British accent.

"How I approach my problems are not your concern, you will get your money back." King's voice was almost a snarl.

"I could care less about money, I have more wealth than you could gain in your lifetime. Though I'm starting to think I might need to reconsider my cooperation with you, I think it would be far amusing to see your empire fall, even though I do not intend to be anywhere near here when that happens, I have other business to attend to."

"Is that a threat?" King demanded.

"Just a statement. I'm done with you, Mr. King. You clearly cannot control your empire." The woman said. "You are as arrogant as  _he_  was. You cannot control your family any better than he did."

"It would be a mistake to walk away, Miss Tate." King warned.

"I have done many mistakes in many lifetimes, one of them being entrusting my money to  _you_." The woman said as she walked away.

"I will find you and I will hunt you down!" King snarled.

"You are welcome to try. I am returning to Star City. Somebody needs to help rebuild the city."

King banged the table and pulled out his phone. "Put a bounty on the female vigilantes. $50 million dollars. Twenty five more if you can bring me Felicity Smoak. Another twenty five if you can bring me my daughter."

* * *

**_Elsewhere in Seattle_ **

Mia turned around to see if there was nobody following her as she opened the sewer hatch and snuck through the tunnel and later climbed up the ladder as there was a blonde woman sitting at the computer.

"Dad's not gonna stop looking for either of us."

"They didn't follow you, did they?"

"No, I lost them, luckily." Mia sighed in relief.

"I already called an associate of mine, they'll bring you fake ID and passport so you can get out of town."

"No, what my Dad's doing has to stop. That's why I wanted you to steal his money."

"You know you painted a bullseye on both of our backs, did you? I think we should have ran to Australia or somewhere."

"Felicity, if you didn't know the risks, then why did you accept the deal I gave you?"

"You neglected to mention that your Dad's basically a bank where the terrorists cash their money. All you told me was, " _We're doing a right thing here that might save hundreds of thousands of lives._ ""

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	5. Chasing Speedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel needs to deal with some unexpected news as she comes to rescue Felicity and she has some very unpleasant words to exchange with her old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

_**Hospital, Bludhaven** _

"Hahaha…aww!" Henry groaned as Laurel glared at him, pounding his chest as the heart monitor bleeped rapidly. "OK, that was unfair from me."

"You think this is funny?!" Laurel asked savagely.

"You have to admit, in hindsight, it is a little hilarious, when you think about it. Picturing you vomit in a middle of a fight." Henry snickered as Laurel whirled on Barbara, who was desperately trying to stifle her giggles but calmed down quickly as she met Laurel's fierce gaze. "How long?" He asked in a normal tone.

"According to a doctor, two months." Laurel explained.

"So, now what? You're benched? On maternal?" Henry asked.

"Not exactly." Laurel said. "I can go out in the field still but according to Lyla, when it comes down to it…"

"Leave Babs and others to take on the weight and get the hell out before your water breaks in the middle of the fight." Henry drawled, snickering.

"Stop, or I'm gonna feel more embarrassed." Laurel grumbled, blushing slightly.

"You deserve it after laughing at me last year because of the whipped cream prank." Henry said before noticing Laurel's sad look, though he managed to make her smile. "OK, I'm gonna stop joking around. It's enough that Nicky freaks out on me all the time lately." He held her hand, being serious now. "Hey, it's gonna be OK. We can figure this out. I'll be there if you need me. And I think you'll be a good Mom, Laurel."

"I'm honestly not sure about that. Maybe, if Ollie was around, I wouldn't be that much worried but…"

"I'm sure he'll be there for you if you need him." Barbara assured her.

"So, who the hell was that creep that attacked you? And how did he find you?" Henry asked.

"We don't know but apparently, King planted a tracking virus in his mainframe, whoever would try to steal his data, he'd find them soon enough; he was ready for someone hacking in. I scrubbed our pieces but..."

"Felicity is in a lot of trouble." Henry realized.

"We're working on it. Felicity's last known location was a bust." Barbara said. "I think she must have packed up when she found out they were onto her."

"She's always been sloppy, sooner or later, we'll find her." Laurel said, deciding to have a pointed conversation with her old friend.

* * *

**_Elsewhere in Seattle_ **

Felicity was driving across the bridge, with Mia in her passenger seat. "That was burger number two or three?" Felicity asked.

"Four." Mia said, with her mouth full as she roughed up the paper labeled " _Big Belly Burger_ " into a ball.

"When was the last time you ate?" Felicity asked. "I mean, anything other than scraps."

"Three days ago."

"A new record." Felicity quipped. "Wow. I hope your friend's gonna help us."

"He doesn't like Dad's plan any more than I do. He'll listen." Mia promised.

"I guess that's better than going to the authorities. Who would take a word from a former IT girl and a street kid against the third richest man in the United States?"

* * *

_**Kingdom Corp Tower** _

"Who were they?" King asked.

"Some female vigilantes from Gotham and Star City. Word is, H.I.V.E. had a lot of trouble with them a while back." His associate said. "We were able to confirm the identities of three of them. One of them was Frank Bertinelli's daughter. The other two helped Oliver Queen take down H.I.V.E. before his demise."

"Do you know their names?"

The associate handed him a folder as he looked at the photos.

" _Laurel Lance_." King raised his brows, looking at one of the pictures.

"You know her, sir?" The associate asked.

"She was today at the gala. Interesting. I had expected her to be more… fierce… yet she is kind and knows compassion… unlike the Siren."

"Who, sir?" The associate asked, confused.

"No one who matters anymore." King said. "Leave. Once you have useful updates on these women or my daughter, let me know." Before the associate could turn around, he spoke up again. "And I want Laurel Lance alive, if possible. The rest of them, I don't care. If they stand in your way, any means necessary are authorized."

"Yes, sir." The associate left as King looked at Laurel's photo, then turned to the window, looking at his own reflection.

"I wanted a new life for us, Mia… I wish you and your mother had understood what I am doing… we can never go back… I'm just trying to make a better world for us. After what we've lost at the hands of that… blue-streaked monster… your brother…" He turned on the TV, looking at the news report about himself last week.

" _Do you have any plans to run for Mayor?_ "

" _How much of your wealth are you spending on renovating the slums?_ "

" _Is it true you had dinner with Carmine Falcone last week?_ "

" _Channel 52 is running a Susan Williams feature on me next week. I'll answer all questions about my political aspirations there. Thank you for coming and for your continued support._ "

King pulled out his phone. "The reporter that asked about Falcone? Somebody feed him with his teeth and make sure he won't be able to hold his microphone for a couple of weeks."

* * *

**_Elsewhere in Seattle_ **

"Felicity, I think we need another plan." Mia said as they found a man dead on the floor in his apartment, an arrow sticking out of his chest.

"I guess your old man figured out I wasn't playing ball anymore and took it out on our associates. I told you we should have bolted when we had a chance." Felicity quipped.

"No. We need to find a way to cripple Dad's empire. Without him, half of the terrorists out there are broke and the Ninth Circle's gonna want his blood."

"And yours. And mine." Felicity noted.

"I can handle myself, Felicity." Mia snapped. "And I can protect you. I didn't grow up with silver spoon in my mouth, if you have to know, I spent most of my childhood on the streets, and Dad hired a trainer for me, teaching me self-defense, when I was showing boobs slowly."

"You remind me of a certain psycho and his father-son issues and delusions of grandeur. No offense." Felicity said timidly, a little startled by Mia's outburst.

"None taken. I tried reaching out to the feds but Dad has them in his pocket, if we can find a way to leak this to the media…"

"Then the Ninth Circle will not be able to hide anymore." Felicity realized. "And I think I know someone who can help. I should have thought of that earlier."

* * *

_**A.R.G.U.S. compound** _

Barbara was helping the analysts to decode the data as she clapped her hands as there was a map on the screen. "Guys, I think I have Felicity."

* * *

_**Elsewhere in Seattle** _

"We need to leave town and get to Star City quickly, with any luck, they'll listen to me." Felicity said, hitting the gas on the floor.

"Who?"

"You're not the only one with secrets, Mia. I… used to have powerful friends. I… might still have." Felicity admitted.

"What?"

"I used to know the Green Arrow." Felicity said bluntly.

"You  _what_?" Mia exclaimed.

"It's complicated, OK? I don't have time to…" Suddenly, the tire cracked as the car skidded and Felicity pulled the handbrake. "Hang on!" The car rammed into the truck as three black SUVs surrounded them as a bunch of men in black suits showed up, surrounding the car.

"Mia Dearden, this is your last warning. Come with us willingly or we will use lethal force if necessary. We have more than stun guns this time."

"Felicity, whatever happens, keep your head down and don't look up until I tell you." Mia ordered as Felicity nodded frantically. She went out of the car, raising her hands. "OK, I'm coming out. Don't shoot."

One of the men pulled out their cuffs and approached Mia and grabbed her by her hand, only for her to dislocate his wrist and kicking him in the crotch, then throwing him over her back and grabbing his gun, shooting at one of the henchmen, hitting him in his shoulder as they opened fire and Mia took cover behind her car and fired back as they took cover. As soon as they all reloaded, Mia pulled out a bow and quiver from the trunk, firing one arrow after another, disarming them and taking them down before more cars showed up as a high-pitch sound stunned them all and the Black Canary, Batgirl, Huntress and Katana were standing on the roof of a truck before jumping down, engaging the henchmen and taking them all down.

Batgirl and Katana approached Mia, raising their hands. "It's OK. We're not going to hurt you."

"Felicity!" Black Canary exclaimed as she approached the car, opening the door.

"Holy frack.  _Laurel_?" Felicity whispered, widening her eyes. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." Black Canary nodded, laughing as Felicity hugged her tightly. "It's good to see you too but we gotta get out of here."

"I'm so sorry about Oliver…"

"Now's not the time for this, we gotta go." Black Canary said quickly.

"Yeah, right." Felicity said. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"Yeah, same here, though I wish I didn't have to save your ass again." Black Canary deadpanned.

* * *

At the top of the bridge, an archer in black hood notched an arrow, aiming at the Black Canary, holding the bowstring, contemplating but after a long minute, he decided to lower the bow.

" _Not yet… Siren._ "

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven_ **

"Felicity, what the hell were you thinking?" Laurel bellowed ferociously at Felicity, who could feel herself shrink, sitting on chair in the interrogation room. "Do you have any idea how dangerous these people are? You couldn't have expected to make it out alive on your own!"

"I didn't know what was going on at first with this guy, when I found out, I was trying to do a right…"

"Save it!" Laurel snapped. "You have not changed at all, have you? Every time you try to do a right thing, you just create a mess that we have to clean up after you, just because you're stupid and reckless! What you did was idiotic on so many levels, you were painting targets on your and Mia's backs. You should have come to A.R.G.U.S. when you had a chance."

"And when would there be time? We had to move constantly, King was onto us 24/7 ever since Mia ran away. When I realized how dirty he was, his guys were about to shoot me and Mia saved my ass."

Laurel groaned as she sat down and sighed eventually. "Look, you're my friend and I like you but sometimes your " _ideas_ " give us all a headache to last more than one lifetime. I know you were just trying to help but do I need to remind you how many times have your " _ideas_ " backfired?"

Felicity winced at the truth in Laurel's statement. "It's not like I had another…"

"You  _had_  a choice, Felicity." Laurel said harshly. "Call Lyla, when King reached out to you, not screw this guy over and bolt and wait for someone to save your asses."

Felicity opened her mouth but no voice came out as she could not come up with any possible retort to Laurel's note, realizing she was right. "So… what happens now?"

"A protective custody for you and Mia until we figure out how to take down King and the Ninth Circle. And I'm not discussing this with you." Laurel said coldly as Felicity was about to open her mouth again. "I am tired of fixing your mess."

* * *

"How's Mia doing?" Lyla asked Ian.

"She's barely said a word ever since she came here." Ian explained. "I guess it's either teenage stubbornness or the shock. After all, she's got PTSD, her mother died recently."

"We need to get her to talk, otherwise, we won't find anything on Ninth Circle." Lyla sighed.

"I can try." Barbara volunteered as Lyla opened the door for her.

* * *

"Mia?" Barbara said in front of the teenage girl as she kept staring at the table. "It's OK. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you anymore. We can protect you from your father."

Mia raised her head as she looked at Barbara. "I'm hungry. Do you have anything to nosh around here? My stomach's kind of running on fumes." Barbara nodded as an agent left a plate with sandwich on the table.

"What do you know about your father?" Barbara asked gently.

"Everyone thinks Dad's a savior, they have no idea what he's capable of. He's insane and a monster." Mia said. "My Mom found out sometimes after we got here. So he… he…" She sniffed as the tears were forming in her eyes.

"Hey, it's OK." Barbara assured her as she held her hand.

"I hate him so much… my brother had already died a few years back and…"

" _Brother_?" Barbara asked. "I don't understand. There was no mention of brother in your family."

"Because his real name is not " _John King_ "." Mia admitted. "He created this identity years ago, when we got here from…"

"From where, Mia?" Barbara asked. "I can't help you if I don't know all the facts."

Mia broke down in tears as Barbara tried to console her.

* * *

_**Kingdom Corp Tower** _

The mysterious archer put down his hood and the mask as he looked at a family photo of a man and a woman and two young children; a boy and a girl.

"Zoom has already destroyed my family… you're all I have, Mia… and I promise, I will make this our new home…"

* * *

_**Years ago** _

Two adults and a little girl went out from a portal as they appeared in an alley as they went down the pavement.

"Where are we?" The woman asked.

"I don't know, honey. But as long as Zoom won't find us here, we're safe."

"Malcolm… I…"

"No. Don't call me that. If we want to make a new life here, we need a new name. New face."

"Daddy, I'm scared. I want Tommy back." The girl said, frightened.

"I know, Mia." The father assured her. "But we can't go back, ever. And you need to accept the fact that your brother is gone and never coming back."

"I hate that Zoom monster, Daddy, I hate him!" The girl sobbed into her father's shoulder as he soothed her.

"Shhh… it's going to be OK, Speedy. It's going to be OK."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	6. Facedown - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Laurel and the team still looks for a way to take down John King, a stunning revelation complicates the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

=

 

_**S.T.A.R. Labs, Central City** _

"Yeah, hi, Laurel. Is everything OK?" Caitlin asked as she answered the call on computer.

" _Would you mind doing me a favor, Caitlin?_ "

"Sure, what is it?"

" _I need you to compare two DNA samples I'm going to send you. I want to know whether they match or not._ "

"You can ask SCPD for that, why me?" Caitlin asked, confused.

" _I think we might be dealing with a doppelganger from another Earth but I need to be sure._ "

"What doppelganger?" Caitlin couldn't hide the concern as there was a short but a grim pause.

" _Honestly, I'm not sure yet but I hope you can confirm my suspicions. Just tell me whether they match or not. The forensics in A.R.G.U.S. are already working on it but frankly, you are one of the few people I trust to do the job and I think you can do it faster than they could anyway._ "

"I understand, I'll see what I can do."

" _How are you guys doing, by the way? What about Bruce and the rest and how are you and Barry doing?_ "

"I haven't talked with the Justice League much, Barry's trying to fend off some new metas in here that have shown up, so he doesn't have time to help them… but he and Cisco have been kind of on odds lately."

" _What happened?_ "

"It's not my secret to tell." Caitlin said. "Just send me the samples and I'll see what I can do." She looked at her hands, which were freezing.

* * *

_**A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven** _

"She said that her brother was Tommy and that he died when she was five before she shut me out." Barbara informed Lyla and the team.

"Like Tommy Merlyn?" Helena frowned. "Little coincidental, isn't it?"

"I don't know… I've been digging a little deeper into John King and the funny thing is… until ten years ago, there was no record of this guy, like none… and then he and his wife and daughter suddenly showed up out of the blue but there was no record of them having a son and he amassed his wealth quite quickly in a matter of months and guess who was one of his business partners back then.  _Miranda Tate_."

" _Talia al Ghul_. One of her most common aliases." Lyla realized as Laurel and Tatsu tensed.

"So wait, you're saying that King works for the League? Or that the League or Talia gave him the archer?" Tatsu asked.

"I don't know but if King is in bed with her, then it's not good. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a member of the Ninth Circle." Barbara admitted.

"I've been keeping tabs on Talia's most common aliases. Miranda Tate arrived to Star City three days ago. We should let Johnny know that they need to be on a lookout." Lyla nodded.

"What about Felicity?" Tatsu asked.

Lyla sighed. "Honestly, Laurel and I are sick of cleaning up her mess. And I really didn't like doing this but this time she gave us no choice. I looked at her PDA and she's been making contact with more dangerous people than King. Helix – a group of dangerous hacktivists, they're the ones who helped her and Mia siphon the money off King's account. From what Ian, Naomi and Fyff could gather on the dark web, King put a bounty on her head and Helix must have rolled on her for a cut." Laurel nodded in agreement, sneering at Felicity's stupidity and not surprised.

"That's how King tracked her and Mia down." Helena realized.

"I'm not surprised someone would screw Felicity over." Laurel muttered.

"But that's not all. He also knows you're onto him, as your alter-egos and he also put a bounty on you. $50 million." Lyla said.

"Wow." Helena gapped. "I can see how the assassins are gonna roll over to get to us."

"Which is why you need to be extra careful." Lyla nodded.

"And Felicity and Mia?" Laurel asked.

"I think Felicity should be careful not to get herself into more trouble and we're letting Mia with someone we trust."

* * *

**_Nicole Fyff's House, Gotham City_ **

" _Coming up next, John King has gentrified and rejuvenated many cities on…_ "

Mia grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "Sorry, Nicole, I just can't stand that guy."

"I guess he seems a little phony. Bruce Wayne has a lot more charm than him and Lex Luthor combined." Nicole chuckled.

"You know Bruce Wayne?" Mia widened her eyes.

"My brother works for him from time to time." Mia looked outside the window. "Don't worry, A.R.G.U.S. assigned a protective detail to you and I have some friends who will keep an eye on us if something happens." Then her oven rang in the kitchen. "Wait until you meet my son, he's always wanted a big sister and he has bigger appetite than Garfield the Cat." She went around the corner and shouted. "Riley, it's dinner! I made your favorite chicken steak and pizza!"

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. Detention Black Site_ **

Felicity held the board with her name and inmate number in front of her as they were about to take a picture of her.

"Wait, I'm not ready, should I be smiling or not?"

"Whatever suits you, Blondie." The officer said as he clicked the camera and put a tray on the table. "Personal belongings here. Cellphone, watch, jewelry, everything. But you can keep the glasses." Felicity did as she was told, reluctantly though. "All clothing parts off, now."

"What?" Felicity gasped, blushing instantly. "Are you a perv or…"

"Body scan. Don't worry, I won't be peeking, there's a scanning room every new inmate must go through, then shower, then your new clothes are waiting for you."

Felicity's face turned red as the officer turned around as she stripped herself of all of her clothes and covered her breasts with her arms, entering a small round room where a beam of light was shining on her, scanning her as the door behind her closed. "God, I'm in a nightmare, I hope my naked photos won't be all over the Internet by tomorrow morning." Then she looked impressed at the scanner. "Advanced circuitry all over the place. Nice. Please, tell me the guards are not some sick psychos." Then another door opened in front of her, where was a shower room as she went in and turned the hot water on, enjoying every moment of it, humming to herself, since this seemed to be the only pleasant moment she could get in prison before turning off the water after a couple of minutes, not wanting to seem stalling as she entered another room, where was a locker, in which was orange prison uniform she put on reluctantly.

"Well, I can officially cross ' _being processed into prison_ ' off my bucket list. Why did Cooper have to be such an idiot?" Felicity muttered as the guard accompanied her to a metal door that opened and she laid down on the lower bunk.

"Your new roommate, Minerva. Play nice and leave her in one piece, if you would be so kind."

Felicity scowled as she saw what seemed to be a… gazelle's tail hanging from the upper bunk and she could swear her new cellmate was purring.

"Well… I haven't had a roomie for a while. Would you like to play?"

A pit of dread formed in Felicity's stomach as her cellmate peeked from the upper bunk and as she realized that the woman had fur all over her apparently naked body, she jumped out of her bunk, screaming and desperately banged on the door, panicking. "Hey, you can't keep me in here with her! Please! Let me out! I want another cellmate! Or solitary! Just not with her! I'm begging you, please! Somebody help!"

"Welcome to the jungle! Cheetah's going to have a lot of fun with you!"

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven_ **

"Huh, that's strange." Laurel scowled as she looked at her phone. "John King just invited me on another fundraiser."

"Only you?" Lyla blinked.

"Plus two." Laurel corrected.

"I guess you must have made quite an impression on him when you had a moment back there." Barbara noted.

"That's quite good. Maybe you can seduce him somehow. Make him slip." Lyla nodded.

"Maybe he's onto us." Laurel reasoned, suspicious. "He's a third richest man in the U.S."

"Then you'll be ready."

* * *

**_Later, outside Seattle_ **

Laurel, Barbara and Helena, in their dresses approached the guard as they pulled out their invitations and he let them into a blimp as it took off a few minutes later and after a while of mingling, John King approached Laurel.

"Miss Lance. I honestly doubted you would arrive but here you are."

"How could I decline?" Laurel teased.

"May I offer you a glass of…"

"No." Laurel shook her head. "I… I'm a former alcoholic, so… I'd rather not."

"I insist." King said.

"Really, I can't." Laurel declined.

"If that's your wish." King shrugged as he put the glass back on the waiter's tray. "How are you enjoying Seattle so far, Miss Lance?"

"Smaller crime rate than in Star City, I admit." Laurel said.

"Indeed…  _Black Canary_." King narrowed his eyes as Laurel's mask shattered. "Don't look so surprised, Miss Lance. Whenever people try to cross me, I tend to be very persistent in finding out who exactly am I dealing with… and I have my ways of eliminating obstacles in my way." Laurel breathed out quickly, thinking of a way out.

" _Damn it, he knows who you are. Get out of there, abort, now!_ " Lyla ordered.

"Do you know what  _real_  power is, Laurel? I'm not talking about super-speed, or strength or flight.  _Real_   _power_  is having people in your debt… and since I've helped a lot of people in many countries, they've very… colorfully expressed their gratitude… like for example H.I.V.E., when I funded Genesis operation and they gave me intel on you and Oliver Queen in return."

Laurel decided to cut to the chase, taking off her mask. "What is it you want, Mr. King?"

"A city without crime." King said. "Without sickness. A magnificent kingdom." He looked at the horizon of Seattle. "Citizens need someone to make the hard decisions. Someone who is unafraid to eliminate the diseased and execute the wicked."

"You sound like psychopath." Laurel growled, suddenly his delusions reminding her of Malcolm Merlyn. "You're working with terrorists, killing innocent people, all in the name of making the world a better place."

"There's no such word as ' _innocent_ ', Miss Lance. Not in the larger scale. Only necessary sacrifices in the name of greater good. That's what H.I.V.E. was trying to do."

"By nuking the world." Laurel hissed.

"I don't understand you  _masked vigilantes_. I am  _saving_  this city for you. Merely without weapons or gadgets or superpowers."

"We'll stop you." Laurel shot back.

"I'd like to see you try." King sneered. "But is it worth the cost of your dearest ones?" Laurel blinked. "How about your father, Mayor Lance? Or your friend John Diggle and his team of masked wannabe warriors? Or another friend, the poor crippled Henry Fyff?"

"Leave my friends and my family alone, you bastard."

"Then at least let me show you my vision, Laurel."

"I don't want to hear your twisted plans of reshaping the world." Laurel snapped, suddenly thinking of Malcolm Merlyn.

"Fool. You're as arrogant as  _she_  is."

" _Laurel, get out of there, now!_ " Lyla yelled.

Suddenly, the guards pulled out their guns and Helena grabbed one of them by his arm and broke his wrist, disarming him, firing at other guards with his gun, while Tatsu grabbed a nearby pole, using it as a weapon and Barbara kicked another one in his crotch and they all ran towards the window, but to their surprise, someone else was joining them in their run, as they all jumped out of the window, falling down a few feet but suddenly stopping mid-air as they landed on a green light, shaped in some kind of a net.

"Next time, I want a normal evac plan, with a plane or a parachute!" Helena yelled, frustrated.

"Thanks for saving us, Hal." Barbara smiled at the man, who was flying in the air, with a domino mask on, wearing some kind of an armor and a green ring on.

"Now you all owe me one."

"Did you get it, Selina?" Laurel asked the woman who had followed them.

"King's ledger, now we know who banked their money into his pocket." Selina said, with a flash drive in her hand.

"The best thief in the world." Helena quipped. "No wonder Bruce and Dick were into you."

" _Laurel, listen. Caitlin just called me. The DNA samples we sent her were a match. The guy we're dealing with, John King, is Malcolm Merlyn from Earth-2_."

Laurel widened her eyes. "That means that…"

"Mia is Thea's doppelganger." Barbara finished.

* * *

"What was that, Mr. King?" One of the guests aboard the blimp asked.

"Just a short entertainment. Nothing to worry about." King assured them. "Please, have fun."

"Why do you have to get into so much trouble, Laurel?" A dark-haired man, blended in between the guests asked. "If Ollie can't help you this time, looks like it's up to me now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	7. Facedown - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against King continues as an unexpected ally comes to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

The relief didn't last very long as missiles flied towards Hal and the girls.

"Lantern, shield!" Barbara yelled as the Green Lantern created an orb around himself and the girls as the missiles exploded. He accompanied the girls to the ground as a helicopter followed them.

"It's coming right for us!" Helena yelled.

"Hang on!" Green Lantern created a missile, shooting it at the chopper as it exploded.

"Thanks again for saving us, Hal." Laurel sighed in relief.

"We need to get out of here before King sends more mercs after us." Tatsu suggested.

"If John King is as dangerous as our Malcolm Merlyn was, we need to move Mia somewhere else." Laurel realized.

"Uh, we've got more company coming!" Selina yelled as she pointed at the black cars approaching them.

"Lantern, a little help!" Tatsu asked as the Green Lantern formed a sword in her hand and a crossbow in Helena's hand.

"Thanks."

From one of the cars went out a man with a missile launcher as Green Lantern formed another shield and Helena shot the man in his chest as he dropped down. More men went out from the car as Barbara and Tatsu rushed and Selina rushed at them and Laurel held her stomach, hiding behind the shield as Green Lantern stared at her.

"Laurel, what about…"

"I can't!" Laurel yelled as she held her stomach and Green Lantern gapped.

"Oh."

As soon as they disposed of the mercenaries hunting them, Hal pulled out his ring, turning off his armor. "What's going on here? All I got from Bruce was to keep an eye on you."

"Short version; third richest man in America is financially supporting terrorism." Laurel summed up.

"Things are gonna get bloody now that King knows who we are." Helena noted.

"And even more; Lyla says that John King is actually Malcolm Merlyn's doppelganger." Barbara nodded.

" _You need to retreat and lay low for now. Get back here, we'll figure something out._ " Lyla ordered.

"Copy that."

* * *

**_Nicole Fyff's House, Gotham City_ **

"Aw, come on! That's not fair!" Mia moaned as she was playing a racing video game on PlayStation with Riley.

"Gotta keep up, girl." Riley laughed. "Uncle Hank was the only one who could beat me."

"We'll see about that." Mia giggled as Nicole smiled from behind them.

"Don't play too long, kids or your eyes are gonna explode."

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven_ **

"He knows who I am and most likely who our friends are." Laurel warned Lyla. "We need to reach out to John and make sure he and Dad and everyone else are checked on."

"Already on it. I sent some agents to shadow everyone in Star City for a couple of weeks until we shut down the Ninth Circle." Lyla nodded.

"Guys, we have a major problem." Naomi said as she turned on the TV.

" _Mr. King is offering $50 million dollars to anyone who can assist the authorities in apprehending the so-called vigilante Black Canary, alongside with Helena Bertinelli. As of right now, they have become persons of interest for attacking the gala event Mr. King has hosted aboard his blimp earlier tonight…_ "

" _John King is a hero, not a man in a mask, like Green Arrow was or the Black Canary…_ "

" _These vigilantes are out of control…_ "

"He's trying to turn the entire Seattle against us, along with every major city in its vicinity." Helena realized.

"That son of a bitch." Laurel snarled.

"We need to make sure someone keeps an eye on Hank, he's in no state to fight back." Barbara said, worried.

* * *

**_Hospital, Bludhaven_ **

"I can get on…" Henry stumbled as he was getting up from the wheelchair, only to almost collapse as one of the operatives held him back on the wheelchair.

"Don't argue with us, agent Fyff. You still have weeks to fully recover."

"Fine." Henry snapped as they were going down the elevator. As the elevator opened, they found the receptionist passed out as the agents pulled out their guns, only to be hit in their necks by small darts as they collapsed on the floor. Henry tried to reach for a gun as one of the hired muscles approached him and held him on the wheelchair.

"Don't do anything stupid."

"Screw you." Henry hissed as he tried to reach down to the knocked out agent and the thug pulled out his gun before someone knocked him from behind with a baton as Henry chuckled.

"Well, I thought I'd have to just accompany Barbara on wheelchair." Nightwing quipped.

Henry laughed. "You have not changed at all, have you, Dick?"

* * *

**_Nicole Fyff's House, Gotham City_ **

"How are you still hungry?" Nicole laughed as she looked at the two kids playing games on PlayStation. "And here I thought that it's just my son, who has a big appetite."

"I like take-out food, what can I say?" Mia shrugged as the doorbell rang. "Finally, Chinese is…" She opened the door as someone suddenly stuck a syringe in her neck and she collapsed.

"Mom!" Riley exclaimed.

"Mia!" Nicole pulled out a pistol from a drawer and aimed at the two men at the door. "Riley, hide, now!" Her son ran into his room as she shot at one of the men, grazing his shoulder but he shot her in her arm as she screamed and fell down.

"Leave her alive; she's not important." Another man ordered.

"What if she…"

"They'll never find us. We do not need to kill them." They left as Nicole groaned, holding the wound on her arm, grabbing her phone.

"Mom, are you OK?" Riley asked as he went out from his room.

"I'll be fine, honey." Nicole assured him as she grabbed her phone. "Jim, it's Nicky, someone just broke into my house!"

* * *

**_Later_ **

Barbara and Laurel approached the ambulance as the medics bandaged Nicole's arm and Barbara approached her father.

"Dad…"

"Someone tried to break into her house. Nicole scared him off but she said that they kidnapped a friend of her son." Jim explained as Barbara tensed.

Laurel approached Nicole, worried. "Where's Mia?"

"Gone. King has her." Nicole explained as she held her bandaged arm. "They found the A.R.G.U.S. agents dead in the backyard in the house across the street. King must have had them replaced. Honestly, I'm surprised I'm still alive."

"If they wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here." Laurel realized. "You weren't the target. He just wanted to let us know what would happen if we resist and they also just tried to attack Henry."

"Bad move." Nicole laughed quietly. "I've been in this long enough to know one thing; never mess with a family, especially if it's the Queens or Lances or Fyffs." Laurel nodded, chuckling. "Don't tell Hank that I got shot, he'll shoot up from his bed, trying to kill every last one of those idiots, cripple or not. You know how he gets, when he even remotely believes that I'm in trouble." Laurel nodded again.

"Where did he take Mia?"

"I don't know." Nicole shook her head. "How's my son?" She asked Barbara, who approached her too.

"He's just in shock but he's gonna be fine." Barbara assured her.

Nicole sighed. "I'd hoped this would end when my brother quits this stupid shindig. I guess I know better than that now." She turned to Laurel. "Promise me that this mess stops, one way or another, OK? I don't want that bastard to hurt my family, ever again."

"He just made his last mistake." Laurel promised.

* * *

**_Elsewhere_ **

"Hi, Dad. Missed me?" Mia growled, restrained to a chair in what seemed to be like a child's room.

"I'm so sorry about this, Mia." King said as he sat in front of her. "I told them to treat you well; you may not believe it but I did. You're my little princess, Speedy…"

"Don't  _you_  dare call me that!" Mia snarled, spitting at King's face. "Fuck off, you killed my Mom, you piece of shit! You let Tommy die! I swear to God, you're gonna pay for everything, and I'm gonna make sure of that!"

King stood up, wiping his face with his tissue calmly. "You're not the first one to try, princess. At least, you know how I felt when we lost Thomas." He caressed her cheek with kindness, not that Mia let it affect her. "You'll grow to love me, Mia. You did before."

"Don't hold your breath. Right now, I'm ashamed to call myself your daughter." Mia hissed. "What have you done to Nicole and Riley?"

"Don't worry; I'm not the monster you believe me to be, I would never hurt an innocent mother and child if I didn't have to." King said calmly. "They're still alive and alright if you need to know."

"Mr. King, Laurel Lance and her friends are still alive." One of his men informed as he entered.

"It doesn't matter. I've got what I needed. Miss Lance is just a loose rat in the walls and it's only a matter of time before we snuff her out. But right now, let's take a ride."

* * *

**_Later, somewhere in Seattle_ **

"What are we doing here?" Mia asked as she saw what seemed to be an amusement park in construction.

"Remember when I used to bring you and Tommy to amusement park? You used to like the carousel and Tommy would scream in joy when we rode the rollercoaster…"

"I don't want this, Dad." Mia snapped.

"I bet the other kids will love it." King said.

Mia glared at King. "You're building on blood money, you support terrorists…"

"Your shortsightedness and your limited vision is pathetic." King shook his head, disappointed. "The world needs our help. The culling is necessary. Most of the mankind was a disease. Genesis was supposed to be a cure… but the virus was too strong. I still have other plans in motion…"

"You're sick and delusional."

"The people will love us, Mia." King stretched his arms. "We cannot be seen as evil on first sight, we need to provide hope; street kids need shelter, the sick need help…"

"I know what you tried to do in the hospital in Bludhaven." Mia snapped. "You tried to kill one of Laurel's friends…"

King glared at her as he grabbed her throat. "Don't you  _dare_  say that name again to me! Laurel Lance killed my son! Your brother!"

"Black Siren killed Tommy! Laurel here is nothing like her; she's kind, decent, knows mercy; unlike you!"

King slapped her in her face. "You will show me respect, little girl! I'm your father…"

"You're a monster. And nothing more." Mia snarled again. "You killed Mom because she wouldn't understand, and I can't either! So do it! End it!" She goaded as King stared at her, considering.

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. compound, Bludhaven_ **

Laurel's phone buzzed as a private number called. "Hello?"

" _Hi, Laurel._ " King said as Laurel sneered, recognizing the voice. " _I know you have the data on Ninth Circle from Felicity Smoak. Bring it to me, or else Mia Dearden will never see the daylight again. You have one hour. I am in Seattle, the amusement park in construction. And if I see more than just one of your associates, she dies. If I see just one A.R.G.U.S. agent on horizon, she dies. You may bring one more guest with you if you want to but no more._ "

* * *

**_Seattle_ **

Laurel and Barbara drove to the construction site as it rained and they saw Mia restrained to a pillar of rollercoaster.

"Mia…" Laurel whispered.

" _Laurel…_ " Mia could barely talk. " _Behind…_ "

Laurel spun around, grabbing her baton and blocking King's attack with his sword as Barbara kicked him back.

"You and I have the same crusade, Laurel."

"Do we now?" Laurel sneered. "You're profiting of suffering of innocents, yet you claim to make their lives better!"

"You don't see the bigger picture!" King yelled, insanity on his face. "Everything has its price, the only difference between you and me is that I'm not afraid to stain my hands in blood of other people if I have to!"

He swung his sword as Laurel jumped back and he scratched her torso as she hissed, kneeling, Barbara then blocked his attack with her baton as she kicked him back. She was about to attack again but King blocked and grabbed her by her arm, throwing her around as she rolled down the ground, stunning her. King attacked Laurel, scratching her knee as she knelt down and he was about to execute her when a flying arrow robbed him of his sword and a man wearing black hood and a bow jumped down.

"Get the hell away from her!" The man snarled and Laurel, Mia and King recognized the voice.

"Thomas…" King gasped.

"Tommy…" Laurel whispered, widening her eyes.

"My son…" King said, staring at Tommy.

"Don't you dare call me that." Tommy snarled. "I'm not your son, you're not my father. You just have his voice, you don't have his face anymore but you're as much of a monster as my father was."

"Thomas, I can explain…"

"I don't want to hear it!" Tommy snapped. "I'm gonna make sure you won't hurt anyone else ever again, not even Laurel!"

"Go ahead, then, show me that you're a son I could be proud of." King goaded as he attacked Tommy with his sword, who blocked his attack with his bow. They both fenced as Laurel got up on her feet, staring before she helped Barbara get on her feet and they both ran to Mia, untying her. Tommy's close combat skills seemed to be on par with King's but the latter decided to fight dirty as he kicked him in the crotch and grabbed him from behind, a blade on his throat.

"You're good; but not that good. Perhaps I could train you under proper influence, if you only listen to me, son…"

"Don't call me that! My father has been dead to me for twenty years when he left me!" Tommy snarled.

"Let him go!" Mia yelled as she grabbed a bow from the car and notched an arrow. "Let him go, now!"

"You ready to do this, Mia?" King laughed, staring at her. "Are you ready to risk your brother's life to kill your own father?" Mia didn't reply as she held the bowstring. "If you can't shoot someone you love, how can you shoot someone you hate?"

"I won't let you hurt anyone else ever again!" Mia growled. "You killed Mom, you're responsible for hundreds of thousands of lives lost!"

King laughed again. "You're weak, just like your brother…" He let go of Tommy for a moment as he hit him in the stomach with his elbow and ducked as Mia let go of the bowstring and the arrow hit King in his collarbone as she fired two more arrows, hitting King in his arm and knee as he collapsed on the floor, bleeding.

Tommy gasped as he held his throat and approached the girls and Laurel and Mia hugged him tightly as he wrapped his arms around them both. "I can't believe you came." Laurel laughed.

"You really thought I'd let you in trouble?" Tommy snickered.

"Tommy, I missed you so much…" Mia sobbed, tears in her eyes.

"Do I know you?" Tommy quipped as Laurel giggled.

"You know, it's a long story…"

* * *

**_A few weeks later, Nicole Fyff's House, Gotham City_ **

" _Some said John King was the real savior of the U.S.; however, this has turned out to be anything but the case when the authorities received evidence that he has been receiving and sending money to multiple terrorist organizations across the globe and was apprehended by Star City vigilante known as the Black Canary and multiple intelligence agencies across the globe are now cooperating to take down these terrorists…_ "

Mia turned off the TV. "You sure he won't get out?"

"Nyssa's the one interrogating him, she's gonna make it as painful for him as possible." Laurel assured her as Oliver, Sara, Barbara, Roy, Henry, Thea, Tommy, Diggle, Lyla, Riley and Nicole were all eating dinner at the table.

"Ninth Circle's gonna lay low for a while." Lyla assured everyone. "So, as far as the Birds of Prey are concerned, mission accomplished."

"Well, your food here's a lot better here than on Waverider, Nicole." Sara noted.

"That's my sister. The best cook ever." Henry quipped as he kissed Sara and she kissed him back.

"Want some wine?" Nicole offered to Laurel.

"No, I can't." Laurel declined.

"One glass is not that much." Diggle said.

"No, I really can't." Laurel held her stomach as everyone stared at her, except for Lyla, Henry and Barbara.

"No way…" Roy widened his eyes.

"You are…" Diggle gasped.

"I am…" Laurel blushed.

"Oh my God, Laurel!" Sara exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "You and Ollie are gonna be parents!"

"Congratulations!" Thea said cheerfully as everyone clapped their hands. As soon as the happy moment passed by, Laurel cleared her throat.

"Well, thank you. All of you." She said as she looked at everyone. "I don't know yet if it's gonna be a boy or a girl; but I've been thinking, if it's gonna be a girl…" She looked at Henry, remembering his deceased daughter. "I decided for name ' _Ashley_ '. What do you think?"

Henry laughed, nostalgia and joy taking over. "I can't think of a better name for her."

"And what about middle name?" Tommy asked.

Laurel paused as Oliver looked at his best friend, remembering his mother. "How about ' _Rebecca_ '?"

"Ashley Rebecca…  _Queen_?" Sara tried. "Or  _Lance_?"

"Still have nine months to decide." Diggle assured them. Suddenly a bolt of lightning rushed in as everyone gasped and Nicole yelped.

"Damn it, Barry, how many times have I told you; no super-speed in my house!" Nicole yelled.

"Sorry I'm crashing this dinner but it's urgent." Barry insisted. "I need your help. The Justice League needs your help."

"What's going on?" Lyla asked.

"Aliens." Barry said simply.

" _Aliens_?" Oliver repeated slowly, disbelieving as everyone stared at Barry like if he was crazy.

"Aliens." Barry nodded and Diggle groaned at the mental image.

"I swear to God, Barry, my life was somewhat normal before I met you!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, the next few chapters are going to cover Invasion! crossover.
> 
> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	8. Invasion - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Birds of Prey, the Legends and the Justice League comes together to fight the Dominators but Cisco's personal issues with Barry complicate the matter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

**_A.R.G.U.S. HQ_ **

"From the description that Barry told us, I think we're looking at the Dominators. It seems that they're back." Lyla said as everyone stared at her, shocked.

"So, how long have you guys known about the Dominators?" Sara inquired as Lyla filled her, Oliver, Barry, Tommy, Diggle, Barbara, Bruce, Laurel, Roy, Henry and Thea in the briefing room.

"In 1951 they have appeared in the same circumstances." Lyla said as she pressed the remote and they saw a footage of soldiers being attacked by large creatures with long limbs and big heads. "A ship crash-landed, little to no communication, we've learned that they were abducting humans to gather intel about us. They attacked and hundreds of soldiers died and then for some unexplainable reason, they left. All contact had been lost until three months ago when the D.O.D. received this." She pressed the remote again as a recording with a strange voice speaking played.

" _We pose no threat, human inhabitants; understanding is our purpose, any action against us as shown in the past will provoke us with retaliation._ "

"That doesn't sound good." Oliver noted.

"The aliens are more into Hal's wheelhouse, we should let him ask the Guardians." Bruce suggested.

"Looks like the ship that landed in Central City is just a warning shot." Roy realized.

"What are they playing at?" Laurel asked.

"All we know that the dropships contain reconnaissance teams to gather intel about us." Lyla said.

"Trying to find our weaknesses." Barbara realized.

"We have to do something." Henry said.

"We are." Lyla assured them. "Nearly every member state of U.N. is in talk to coordinate a response, action is being taken."

"You want us to sit on our asses and do nothing?" Thea asked, disappointment in her tone.

"These things look like World War Z zombies, if they decide to attack, no military can stop them." Barry pointed out. "And Hal and Kara told me that they're very dangerous."

"You need to let us handle this for now, if we need the Justice League, we'll let you know." Lyla implored.

"There's no time for that, we need to act now." Bruce shot back. "We cannot wait for diplomacy to play out and authorities to take action."

Everyone agreed, to Lyla's disappointment.

"I'll call Ray, let him get the Legends here." Sara said.

* * *

**_Later, S.T.A.R. Labs hangar_ **

"Nate and Amaya are taking care of Waverider." Ray assured Oliver.

"Good."

Barry and Cisco jumped out from the portal with Kara as they introduced her to remaining members of Justice League and Legends. "So, Kara, this is…"

"Hal Jordan."

" _Green Lantern_."

"Diana Prince."

" _Wonder Woman_."

"Arthur Curry."

" _Aquaman_."

"Victor Stone."

" _Cyborg_."

"And from the Birds of Prey, we should introduce you to our newest member; Selina Kyle." Laurel stepped up with Selina.

" _Catwoman_."

"And I'm Tommy Merlyn." He stepped up.

Everyone shook their hands with Kara.

"What do you know about the Dominators?" Bruce asked.

"Not much; just stories I've heard on Krypton, they're really strong; did experiments on people and killed a lot more."

"They're not the only ones with superhuman strength." Thea noted. "Barry said that you were more powerful than a locomotive."

"We should use Kara as stand-in for training." Bruce suggested.

"Since when does the bat-freak call the shots?" Mick growled before Jax stepped up.

"I think what Mick is trying to say is that it would be nice to know who would be in charge around here."

"We should take a vote." Ray suggested. "Choose a leader; someone we can all trust."

"Well, I trust Oliver; he's got my vote." Cisco said as Barry winced.

"I appreciate that, Cisco but Barry put us all together; it should be him." Oliver said as Barry stared.

"Fair enough." Cisco muttered, obviously dissatisfied with it.

"OK, uh… first thing to do as a team leader…" Barry said, uncertain. "Start up by…"

" _Doing a test run._ " Oliver whispered.

"Doing a test run, yeah, let's do a test run." Barry said quickly.

" _Against Supergirl._ " Bruce added quietly.

"Against Supergirl." Barry repeated. "Alright? Test run against Supergirl."

"Are we just supposed to pretend we don't hear them?" Sara asked as Roy and Thea laughed out loud.

"Suit up, look alive, we're training fight with aliens by fighting with aliens."

"I'm out." Laurel raised her hands, backing off as some people gapped at her.

"Laurel…" Diana looked at her.

"Look, guys, I can't get involved into something so big; it's too risky for my baby."

"Wait, you're pregnant?" Kara widened her eyes, X-raying Laurel. "That's great!"

"Congratulations!" Hal said cheerfully as some people clapped their hands.

"Thanks, guys." Laurel laughed as the attention was on her suddenly for a minute.

"We need to focus." Bruce said as everyone got serious.

"OK, so, Laurel's out for this one." Barry said.

"Me too." Tommy raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not taking any chances against this alien. I've seen what she can do in Star City."

* * *

"I didn't think we'd get involved in something so big that soon." Henry muttered as he limped with cane to the table as Sara followed him.

"Well, at least it's interesting." Sara smiled.

"I'm happy you and Ollie are both back, Sara. Even if it's just for this." Henry said, chuckling. "I missed you."

"Likewise." She kissed him before glancing at Cisco and Barry. "You don't know what's their issue?"

"Beats me." Henry shrugged. "They haven't talked for a while."

"Ollie and I checked in on Laurel and her team after we visited you at the hospital. I can't say I'm surprised by Felicity." Sara noted as Henry sighed.

"I may not have known her but for how smart she supposedly is, she can do pretty stupid stuff."

"You're right on the marble." Sara giggled. "I can't believe you put her in a cell with Cheetah."

Henry snickered. "We moved her to a cell with Harley after one incident where that freak almost bit her head off."

Sara laughed. "Oh, that's just cruel."

"One blonde with another; seems suitable to me, besides, Harley's more harmless than Cheetah… mostly." Henry snickered again as Sara giggled. Henry then noticed Cisco glaring at Barry while sitting at the computer as he was about to approach him but almost fell down as he dropped his cane and Sara held him.

"Whoa, easy! We'll patch you up on Waverider once we get a chance; you'll be able to walk normally again." Sara promised.

"Thanks, honey." Henry kissed her.

* * *

Henry limped to Cisco with a cane as he sat down next to him. "So, what's with you and Barry?"

"Nothing." Cisco said with a hostile tone.

"Don't B.S. me, Cisco." Henry said harshly. "I know you're having some issues, I'm not blind but if you can't get past whatever this is, then…"

"I can't!" Cisco snapped.

"Why?" Henry implored. "Why are you being so childish and petty?" Cisco glared at him and scoffed before turning to computer again as Henry sighed. "If you can't be professional and keep this grudge for later, when this is over, you're a liability here." He noted as he stood up, grabbing his cane as Cisco's glare intensified.

* * *

"Barry, I think you should hear something." Oliver told Barry quietly as they, together with Bruce, Stein and Jax went aside and listened to a recording.

" _A war is coming, Captain Hunter and there will come a point where you will be called back to Central City to fight it. So you need to know that while you and your team have been in the temporal zone, I made a choice that affected the timeline. And you know, that whenever you change the past, those changes affect the present and get compounded in the future. When you return, you will be in the new timeline I created, where everyone's past and everyone's future has been affected, including yours. When you come back, don't trust anyone or anything. Not even me._ " The voice of an elderly Barry said.

"Where did you get this?" Barry asked upon listening.

"It was in a secret room in Waverider; it was from your future self from 2056." Oliver said. "You know what this means?"

Barry nodded, looking guilty. "It means I screwed everything up when I changed the past."

"What did you do?" Stein asked.

"I went back in time and I saved my Mom; I created a timeline where she's alive; it's called Flashpoint; until I realized I made a big mistake and I tried to make things right how they were supposed to be…"

"But they weren't." Bruce realized.

"Wow…" Oliver whispered. "Barry… that's…" He couldn't find the right words.

"So, what's changed since you did this?" Stein inquired.

"Cisco's brother is dead, Caitlin has powers, Diggle has a son now instead of daughter…"

"John had a daughter?" Oliver asked, confused.

"I didn't just screw up my life, man, I screwed up everybody's lives and apparently, everyone's lives in the future; when the aliens got here." Barry admitted guiltily. "When the aliens got here, I felt like finally something happened that I didn't cause and maybe I could make up for everything I've done to everybody but…"

"I think we should be up and up with everybody." Jax suggested. "We gotta tell them."

"I agree but not right now." Bruce stepped up. "Barry should come clean, I agree but right now we have more important problems to deal with."

"Bruce is right." Oliver nodded. "We're up against a bunch of aliens and you want us to tell them that their lives might have been affected by the time travel? One sci-fi at the time."

"Nobody's perfect, Barry. Everyone messes up." Bruce assured him. "It's a part of the job; but we need to focus on the Dominators right now, this can be sorted out when it's over."

* * *

Most of the people groaned as they were lying on the ground; the only people that were up on their feet was Diana and Hal, with his Green Lantern suit on as Kara kept fending them off.

"You're even more hardass than on my Earth." Kara quipped, dodging Diana's sword and blocking Hal's weapons created by his ring.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Hal quipped.

"It's kind of hot." Sara noted as Henry flinched, feeling uncomfortable at the moment while Laurel giggled and Tommy snickered, while both of them were watching the sparring session going on.

"Not a word." Henry glared at Laurel and Tommy. "Either one of you."

"Honestly, I feel sorry for you dating Sara; my sister has that kind of effect on people." Laurel quipped.

"I hate you so much." Henry muttered as Tommy laughed out loud.

* * *

The training was going on for hours as Oliver decided to take a short break before Cisco approached Barry with a recorder in his hand.

"You know what this is? This is really you. Like a  _future_  you." Barry felt uncomfortable at Cisco's look. "You told them, right?"

"I'm gonna tell them when this is finished." Barry said reluctantly.

" _When this is finished._ " Cisco repeated. "Even when we're about to lead them into an alien war? Even after Flashpoint?! After everything you've messed up, all the lives you've changed; you still don't think you should tell them?!" He demanded angrily.

"Tell us  _what_?" Sara asked from behind them.

Barry sighed as he turned around, facing the heroes. "Oliver, Jax and professor Stein found a message from me in the future, saying that right now I can't be trusted."

"And why would  _future you_  say that?" Sara inquired.

"I think because I went back and changed the timeline, and now things are different than when I left here, including some of your lives." Barry admitted.

"Some of our lives? Like who?" Kara asked.

"Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, Dig…" Barry looked around.

"Me?" Diggle asked, confused. "Why? What happened?"

"Apparently you had a daughter." Oliver said quietly as Diggle stared at the speedster, trying to absorb the news.

"I had a daughter, Barry?"

Barry nodded. "Baby John was Baby Sara."

"So, let me get this straight… you just erased a daughter from my life?" Diggle stared.

"Yeah." Barry said quietly.

"Barry, don't you realize that changing things like that has consequences?!" Sara demanded. "Did you even realize how much you would mess things up?! I went back in time to save my sister, to bring her back and what happened?! Now, everyone knows Ollie's secret, Henry's a cripple… you didn't even think of the implications?!"

"And all those aberrations that we've spent the last few months trying to correct, you just decided it was OK to create your own?" Ray asked.

"Hey, enough!" Bruce intervened. "You're all being unfair here!" He turned to Barry. "Barry, you did this when, seven months ago? Around the time when Zoom killed your Dad, correct?" Barry nodded as Bruce turned to the rest. "We've all done rash and apparently foolish decisions, when we've lost someone at some point and were just emotionally hurt badly, haven't we?"

"Sara, do you remember when you wanted to kill Roy because he hurt Sin?" Laurel pointed out.

"Or when Hank was hunting down Shadowspire after Ashley died?" Barbara added.

"Or when Ray was after me because he found out my secret and was jealous of my relationship with Felicity?" Oliver asked as Diggle, Sara and Ray winced at the reminder. "Can you honestly say that you wouldn't have done the same thing in Barry's place?" No three of them said a word as they looked ashamed.

Suddenly, Barbara pulled out a phone. "It's Lyla; she says the president's been abducted."

"We should take a small team. Kara, Hal, you're going with the Legends." Bruce ordered. "I'm sorry, Barry but right now, you're a liability to everyone and even though I still trust you, they might not. You're staying here with the rest of us, trying to figure out Dominators weaknesses."

"You still trust me, do you?" Barry asked Kara quietly.

"I'll always trust you but it might take more to convince them." She looked at the rest of the team.

"This is crazy, guys!" Oliver protested. "I'm not going without Barry."

"Then you'll be here, Oliver. We got this." Diggle assured him. "I'm coming with them too."

"Yeah, so am I." Thea said.

"Me too." Roy stepped up.

* * *

**_Time Vault, S.T.A.R. Labs_ **

Barry and Oliver were in the Time Vault as they looked at the holographic news article with a headline ' _FLASH MISSING, VANISHES IN CRISIS_ '.

"I didn't think about it, Oliver. The future. I was so focused on the past, I didn't think about it until now." Barry said, self-loathing. "I changed so much."

"What is this?" Oliver asked.

"This is an article written about me from the future. It used to be written by ' _Iris West-Allen_ '. But now, I don't know. Something's changed with Iris; something's changed with our future. God, what did I do?" Barry asked sadly.

"Barry, a newspaper article from the future doesn't make things true." Bruce pointed out. "Don't beat yourself up."

"How can you say that? I'm responsible for all of this." Barry snapped.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Oliver assured him. "Barry, you made a choice; you wanted to see your parents alive; do you honestly know anyone, if they were in your shoes, wouldn't want to do the exact same thing? I would do the exact same thing!" He pointed out loudly. ""Barry, after the Gambit went down, it was me, my father, and a crewmember on a life raft. Lost at sea. Enough food and water for one person, maybe. My father took out a gun, shot the crew member, told me to survive, then turned the gun on himself. He shot himself in the head; he sacrificed himself, so that I could live. Nothing I could do. No choice. Slade Wilson drove a sword right through my mother's heart in front of my sister and me. I was there; I was helpless on the ground, I was powerless to stop it."

"And I watched my parents get murdered in a mugging gone bad when I was eight and there was nothing I could do either." Bruce added. "And also, Joker left Jason, my student; a boy I loved like a son, for dead… and I wasn't there in time to save him and then he came back from the dead with the Lazarus Pit, haunting me before we could stop him but we let him turn himself into a loose cannon. Don't you think that neither Oliver or I would give anything to go back and change things?"

"Neither one of you ever told me this." Barry said, surprised.

"Things aren't different because you changed the timeline, Barry." Bruce assured him.

"Changes happen, tragedies happen; people make choices and those choices affect everyone else." Oliver said. "You're not a god, Barry."

Suddenly, the entire building trembled.

" _Hey, guys, wherever you are, we need you!_ " Cisco called out over the intercom.

Barry turned on the hologram as they saw the Legends, Arsenal, Spartan and Speedy and Supergirl and Green Lantern fighting against the rest of Justice League, with Batgirl and Merlyn in front of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Things just got so much worse…" Barry whispered.

* * *

"A little help here!" Wonder Woman demanded as she threw away Supergirl.

"What's going on?" Green Arrow demanded as he dodged Atom's blasts.

"Mind control apparently!" Aquaman yelled.

Supergirl fired heat vision as Flash pulled Green Arrow away.

"You really did it this time!" Green Arrow snapped, taking cover behind a wall.

" _Seriously_?" Flash asked, annoyed.

"Yeah, seriously!" Green Arrow snapped again before two beams cut through the wall. "Heat vision? Really?!"

* * *

The Flash ran to the roof, luring Atom, Green Lantern, Supergirl and Firestorm before circling around and firing lightning at all of them but not before Supergirl sent him down to the ground with heat vision.

* * *

Green Arrow was fending off Spartan as Batman, Merlyn and Batgirl engaged White Canary and Arsenal and Wonder Woman took down Speedy and suddenly, Wally showed up, taking down the rest of mind-controlled heroes on the ground.

"Wally?" Flash asked as Wally stood up in front of him.

" _Kid Flash_." Wally smiled before Supergirl sent him flying and knocking him out.

"We need to find out how they're mind controlling them!" Batman said.

" _There's a weird signal coming from the salt mines!_ " Cisco said.

"Can you jam it?"

" _No._ "

"We can't keep going on like this." Batman sighed. "Flash, take out the transmitter; we'll keep them busy for as long as we can!"

Flash stood up, taunting. "Hey, Supergirl! Let's finally see who's faster!" He zapped away as Supergirl followed him.

* * *

Green Arrow dragged Wally to the bunker as White Canary, Speedy, Spartan and Arsenal kept on attacking him and he used three flammable arrows as distraction before running away. They all cornered the archer as suddenly, they gasped and stared at the Emerald Archer.

"Guys, they're back."

* * *

"Hal got hit bad." Wonder Woman said as she looked at his wound. "We need to get him back, Bruce."

"You all OK?" Batman asked the now freed from mind-control heroes.

"Yeah." Sara nodded as Batman entered the Batmobile.

"We need to call Lyla, tell her that the Dominators aren't here peacefully." He drove away as Wonder Woman jumped away, with Hal on her shoulders and Aquaman created a ball of water, dragging the rest of the League away.

Henry rushed out, still limping with his cane as he hugged Sara. "Never scare me like that again."

Suddenly, Green Arrow, White Canary, Arsenal, Speedy, Batgirl, Merlyn, Spartan and Henry were all covered in some kind of a beam and the Flash rushed at them but before he could reach them, they all vanished.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	9. Invasion - Part 2 - Dreamworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Thea, Sara, Diggle, Henry, Barbara, Ray and Roy are trapped in an illusion as Team Arrow and the Justice League tries to figure out a way to stop the Dominators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Oliver entered the Queen Manor and took a shower, then left with a towel around his waist as Laurel went out from the other shower as Oliver handed her a towel, covering her naked body.

"So, how was your run?" Laurel asked.

"You know how it was; I told you about it in the shower." Oliver noted.

"How could I forget?" Laurel smiled before she and Oliver kissed.

Then they heard crying of a baby across the corridor as Oliver sighed. "I'll go there."

He went into a bedroom with double bed, where was a crib as he was approaching his baby.

* * *

**_Present, real time, the Lair_ **

"We need to find them." Laurel sighed desperately.

"Don't worry, Laurel, we're all working on it." Curtis assured her as Cisco and Naomi went out from the elevator and Laurel glared at the former.

"This is your fault, Cisco!" Laurel snapped at him. "My best friends and my sister and my husband have been abducted because you couldn't keep your petty grudge against Barry for later; they could have stayed focused on the task if you weren't whining like a wounded dog!"

"Barry killed my…" He was interrupted by a smack on his face as his cheek was going red.

"It's not like he pulled a gun to his head and pulled the trigger!" Laurel snapped again, suddenly remembering her father after Oliver had returned from Lian Yu. "Your emotions might have compromised the entire operation!"

"We'll find them, Laurel, don't worry." Curtis assured her as Cisco sneered at her, not one bit affected by her anger.

"I swear to God, if we won't find them in time, I'll make you suffer in ways that make League of Assassins look like amateur cooks, Francisco Ramon." Laurel hissed as Naomi approached the computer and Cisco grabbed Oliver's old recurve bow, vibing.

"He's one of them? A metahuman?" Rene asked, annoyed.

Cisco gasped. "I saw them; they're in some kind of stasis, like a ship; little  _Alien_ , little  _Star Trek_ , J.J. Abrams style, whole lot of tech."

" _Tech_?" Naomi repeated. "That's great, if we can get our hands on a piece of Dominator tech, we might be able to gather intel from it!" She said enthusiastically.

Cisco pulled out a piece of tech from his bag, smiling, handing it to Curtis, who smiled, excited.

* * *

**_Queen Manor_ **

"You didn't have to give me a gift, Speedy."

"Just a little pre-party dinner gesture." Thea said as Oliver examined a small rock shaped like an arrowhead, with Chinese signs carved into it.

" _Little_  is right."

"It's called Hozen. It symbolizes reconnecting, like with you and Laurel."

"Thea, it's a rock."

"It's a very thoughtful gesture from your amazingly loving sister." She pulled out her phone. "Oh, Roy will be coming later for dinner."

"I can't believe you'd date that lowlife." Oliver noted, feeling uncomfortable as Thea glared at him.

"You're just like Laurel about Sara; she hates the fact that her sister dates this… loose cannon, some hacker nutjob from Gotham."

* * *

Later, Sara and Henry parked in front of the Queen Manor as Laurel hugged Sara tightly.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." Sara then turned to Henry. "Laurel, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Henry; Henry, this is my big sister, Laurel."

"So, you're that guy from Gotham, who got caught a few years back for hacking into GCPD." Laurel quipped as she held her baby in her arms.

"I was trying to get a job done, when the cops couldn't."

"Dad, the door's stuck!" A young girl's voice called from the car behind them.

" _Dad_?" Laurel repeated as Henry went back to the car, opening the door as a little girl, around ten years old went out.

"Oh, I haven't told you…" Sara gasped. "Henry has a daughter; with his former girlfriend from college before I met him. She died from cancer, I've been trying to get to know her."

"Oh." Laurel gasped. "That's sad."

"Yeah." Sara nodded. "I've been trying to build a relationship with both of them; she's nice."

"I'm curious about my and Ollie's kids." Laurel said as Sara looked at the necklace on her sister's neck. "You like it? It's from Ollie."

"What is it? It's beautiful."

"A canary." Laurel said as a faint memory flashed in Sara's mind, and she gasped before hugging Laurel tightly.

As Henry looked at his daughter coming out from the door, a memory in his mind flashed about bright light shining on him as he drove a car before it rammed him off the road.

* * *

**_Elsewhere in Star City_ **

"The tux looks good on you." Robert noted as he and Oliver were walking down the alley.

"Never really felt like my thing." Oliver said, uncertain.

"Maybe you'd be more comfortable in suit and tie." Robert suggested.

"Dad, come on."

"You get sworn as a mayor in less than two months and I'm retiring soon; I don't have time to find a replacement CEO for Queen Consolidated."

"What about… uh… Walter Steele?" Oliver suggested.

"The board won't back him." Robert sighed. "Besides, QC is a family company, it should stay in the family."

"Dad, I want to make my own name. I don't just want to rely on yours." Oliver argued.

"Oliver, if you don't do it, the board's gonna push to accept Ray Palmer's buyout offer."

Oliver sighed as he stared at a building he was sure he hadn't seen before, with a sign SMOAK TECHNOLOGIES shining on the top of the building before a man in a hoodie bumped into him while walking down the alley.

"Excuse me."

"Excuse yourself." The man said as he pulled out a gun. "Watches, wallets, phones. Are you deaf? Wanna take a bullet?"

"Take it easy." Robert reasoned.

"You take it easy." The mugger shot back as he aimed the gun at Robert.

"Hey!" Oliver instinctively stepped in front of Robert. "Get away from him."

Suddenly, a flying arrow disarmed the mugger as a man dressed in a green suit that included a green hood carrying a bow and a quiver on his back jumped down and punched the mugger, knocking him down. He then pulled out an arrow, stuck it in the mugger's shirt and then the Queens watched as the mugger was carried off by a line after the man shot a second arrow. The man then fired again and was carried off himself, leaving Oliver and Robert staring after them in shock.

"Are you alright?" Robert asked as he turned to Oliver.

"Yeah, fine." Oliver recovered.

"You could've been killed, why would you do a thing like that?" Robert demanded angrily and Oliver had no answer.

* * *

**_Later, Queen Manor_ **

"Wow, Mom is totally gonna freak out." Thea said after listening to Oliver's and Robert's story.

"Which is probably why she doesn't need to know." Robert told her.

"Yeah, she probably wouldn't believe the part about the guy in the hood anyway." Thea mused.

"Actually, it was your brother who came to my rescue first. You're quite the hero, son." Robert told Oliver and Oliver was once again taken to different time and place.

* * *

A boat went down and Robert dragged Oliver into a life raft. Robert put a gun to his temple.

* * *

Oliver gave Thea a Hozen.

* * *

Oliver and Laurel were in his room as they kissed.

* * *

"Oh my god, I heard what happened, are you OK?" Laurel entered, waking Oliver from his moment of flashes flooding in his mind as she hugged him.

"I'm fine." Oliver said as he looked at her, another memory flashing of him visiting her in a hospital, then having a passionate moment on a couch in loft, then again in hospital with Henry on the stretcher, severely injured, with Sara, a red-haired girl and another young blonde woman. "I need some air, I'll see you at the restaurant." He said quickly as he left the manor.

* * *

**_Present, real time, the Lair_ **

"You have it?" Laurel asked as Cisco, Curtis, Naomi, Victor and Bruce were examining the tech.

"We're about to find out."

Suddenly, the tech bleeped as it trembled, shining red light. "Take cover!" Bruce ordered as they all ducked and the tech exploded.

"You tried to plug a human tech into an alien power source." Bruce realized.

"Without a regulator, this thing will overload. We need something that can handle this much energy." Victor suggested.

"Van Horn Industries, they have a prototype." Bruce realized.

"Uh, a problem." Naomi said as she looked at the tablet. "Someone stole it already. Doctor Laura Washington. Looks like she's been trying to artificially augment herself with an alien tech." Victor winced at the reminder as Naomi stared at him. "I'm sorry, I know it brings back bad memories."

"It's OK. Really." Victor assured her.

"She's got enhanced strength, stamina and electricity-based power." Laurel read. "I think we need big guns, Bruce." She turned to him. "I'll call Selina and Tatsu."

"Cyborg; you, Wonder Woman and Supergirl are up." Bruce ordered.

"It's our city, Laurel, we're coming too." Curtis volunteered.

* * *

**_SCPD_ **

"Captain Lance." Oliver rushed in as he followed Quentin.

"Hey, I should have called you, Detective Hilton told me about what happened."

"Yeah, Dad and I are fine." Oliver assured him.

"Good, we've got the guy in custody."

"Because of the guy with bow and arrow."

"Yeah, we've been calling him ' _the Hood_ '. Some kind of a vigilante." Quentin noted as Oliver looked at the evidence board centered on the Hood as more memories flashed in his mind about his own scars, training as the Hood and Quentin chasing him.

"Oliver?" Quentin asked, worried.

"Do you… have… any leads on who the Hood… might be…"

"This is the last thing you should be thinking about before your swearing as mayor." Quentin reasoned before measuring Oliver with his assessing gaze. "Is that what's going on here? You getting old feet?"

"No, not at all, I promise." Oliver chuckled.

"Good, because I would hate to have to look for the missing mayor, the paperwork would be hell." Quentin laughed.

"Truth is, I guess I was more shaken up by the mugging than I had thought." Oliver said hesitantly.

"I know just a thing to fix that, a few drinks on the rehearsal dinner, I'm buying, c'mon."

"Actually, Captain Lance, I'll meet you there."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there."

"Yeah." Oliver said as he started to walk out.

"Oliver…" Quentin called out and Oliver turned around. "There's something I wanna say. Look, um, when you and Laurel were kids, you know, I-uh. Well, let's face it, I didn't like you much. I thought you were a rich, entitled punk."

"I was." Oliver admitted.

"But since then, Oliver, you have grown into a hell of a man, the kind of guy I'm proud to have as my son-in-law."

"Thank you, Captain Lance."

"See you at that dinner."

"See you there." Oliver said as Quentin walked off.

Oliver looked at a map of Starling City and his mind was assaulted with images, this time of an office and a secret elevator. Oliver stared for a moment before making a decision.

* * *

"He's not coming." Laurel said disappointed.

"Don't worry, he'll come." Sara assured her. "You know Ollie's never been on time for anything in his entire life."

"You didn't see him earlier, he had this look on his face like if he was backing out."

"No way, he would never back out." Sara assured her.

"He just looked like everything he knew was wrong."

"I'm pretty sure that every guy looks like that before their swearing." Sara mused as she and Laurel grabbed the cups of wine from the bar and Sara smiled at Henry, who was playing with his daughter and other kids in the corner.

"You know, there was a time when I thought that the two of you would actually hook up."

Sara laughed. "Are you kidding? Ollie and I… not that…" She blushed. "It would never have worked out between us!"

"How's my girl and her sister doing?" Henry teased as he approached them.

"We're good." Laurel smiled.

Then Ray approached Laurel. "Miss Lance, Ray Palmer, a business associate of Oliver's father. I just wanted to say congratulations."

"Thank you, it's really nice to meet you." Laurel said politely. "Uh, this is my sister Sara."

Sara turned around and, as they looked at each other, Sara and Ray were both assaulted with memories of each other.

"Have we met before?" Ray asked shaken.

"No, I think I'd remember." Sara said after a moment.

"You just…you seem very familiar." Ray said and Sara knew the feeling.

"Laurel…" A red-haired girl wearing glasses approached them. "Care to introduce us?"

"Oh." Laurel gasped. "Sara, Henry, Mr. Palmer, this is my friend, Barbara; Barbara, this is Ray Palmer, my sister Sara and her boyfriend, Henry Fyff."

"Nice to see you." Barbara offered her hand.

"Likewise." Henry shook his hand as a set of memories flooded in their minds, Barbara hugging Henry when he was in a hospital lying on stretcher and later, both of them talking to each other in a visitor room in some kind of prison as they stared at each other.

"You guys OK?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah. I guess." Barbara said reluctantly as she and Henry couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

* * *

Oliver entered a rundown office, opening secret door to an elevator as he went down to some kind of a bunker as a blonde rushed to a computer, yelling. "What the hell?! We have an unauthorized entry!"

The archer in green hood jumped down from above, about to punch Oliver but Oliver blocked him to his own surprise before the archer whacked him in the face with his bow, knocking him on the ground.

"What are you doing here? How did you find this place?!" The Hood roared.

"My name is Oliver Queen."

"I know who you are!" The Hood shot back.

"Everyone knows who you are." The blonde added.

"How did you find this place?" The Hood demanded.

"Better question is  _why_? He's getting sworn as a mayor tomorrow." The blonde inquired.

"Get out! Get out!" The Hood grabbed Oliver. "No one can know my secret!"

Another memory flashed in Oliver's mind. "Your name is John."

"What did you say?" The Hood asked.

"Your name… is… John Diggle…"

The blonde realized what was the Hood about to do as she yelled protesting before the archer lowered his hood, revealing his face. "How do you know all this?"

"I think we've met before; you were my bodyguard."

"You're thinking of my brother Andy, he's in personal security."

"You were in military."

"105th out of Kandahar." Diggle nodded. "Did a lot of things back then that I'm not proud of, I came back here to atone, I guess." He admitted.

Oliver then looked at the blonde as another memory flashed in his mind and he sighed, shaking his head in denial. "This isn't right. I don't think that any of this is real. I don't think you're the Green Arrow, and I don't think Andy's alive. John, I think you killed him."

Next thing Oliver knew, Diggle grabbed him and slammed him to the ground, pulling an arrow from his quiver. "Listen to me. You're having some kind of psychotic break. Go back to your family, your wife and kid, and your fancy house!" He roared. "And you're gonna forget about this! You've got everything, everything, man! Stop trying to throw it all away." He forced Oliver into the elevator as the door closed.

* * *

**_Present, real time, Star City_ **

Mr. Terrific, Wild Dog, Katana, Catwoman, Ragman and the Flash were outside as Wild Dog looked annoyed at the Flash. Then, Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Cyborg landed on a rooftop as Wild Dog rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I've had enough of this." He grumbled as he went down from his bike.

"What exactly you have enough of?" The Flash asked Wild Dog as they entered the building.

"I didn't know there were flying metahumans now." Wild Dog grumbled.

"No sign of Washington." Supergirl informed.

"Supergirl is not a meta; she's an alien." The Flash said, assured.

"One of the good ones." Supergirl noted.

"There are no good ones." Wild Dog grumbled again.

"Hey, what's your damage, man?" Flash asked as Wild Dog took off his mask, facing them.

"My damage is that people like you have power of gods and you think you can make the world a better place by putting on a fancy costume." He growled.

"That's exactly what we do." Wonder Woman tried to reason with Rene, who scoffed.

"Look around. The moment he showed up…" He looked at Flash. "Metas start appearing everywhere, you show up…" He glanced at Wonder Woman. "We've got magic, now she shows up…" He looked at Supergirl. "And we get aliens. Superpowers are evil, man and I don't want anything to do with them or either one of you." He snapped as he went down the corridor as Wonder Woman sighed.

"He reminds me of Jason."

* * *

Wild Dog entered a room as a beam of light sent him flying and he hit a boiler, groaning as he looked at a woman with cybernetic eye and metal arm, apparently augmented herself with alien tech.

* * *

_**Queen Manor** _

"Ollie, where have you been?" Laurel asked.

"We've been worried about you." Sara added as they approached him.

"Why weren't you at the dinner?" Barbara demanded.

"I know, I said I was sorry."

"In a text." Sara hissed.

"Can you give us a few minutes, please?" Oliver asked as Sara sighed, walking out with Barbara.

"You're lucky I'm not a trained assassin or anything like that." Sara whispered to Oliver.

"You left me with our baby alone and I had no idea where you went, I thought you were…"

"I'm fine." Oliver assured her. "I'm fine."

"Well, that's good because the guests will…"

"No guests, not in a few hours; now." Oliver said quickly. "Laurel, I need to get out of here, we can go somewhere where…"

"Oliver…"

"I'm being serious, I don't know what's going on with me right now, I just know I want to be with you and our baby as quickly as humanly possible."

"What is going on with you?" Laurel asked.

"Last night somebody reminded me that I have everything and I don't want to give it up; I'm afraid that I'm giving it up." Oliver admitted.

"Well, that's very sweet of you…" Laurel said as she took his hands in hers. "But we have over two hundred guests coming, plus your parents have spent a fortune on this dinner."

"I know and I'm sorry if it's confusing or scaring you but the only thing in the world that makes sense to me right now is that I love you and I'm gonna take the job as the mayor very seriously and I swear to God I will work every single day to be the man you fell in love with and be there for our baby."

Laurel smiled at him as someone knocked on door and opened as Oliver was surprised to see Diggle at the door. "Sorry to interrupt, the Russian lady down stairs told me to come up here. You got a minute to talk?"

* * *

"What happened to ' _just go back to your life_ '?" Oliver asked as he followed Diggle outside to the garden.

"Look, have you been going out into the city lately, seeing a particular building that shouldn't be there?" Diggle asked as Oliver remembered.

"Smoak Technologies."

"Yeah." Diggle nodded.

"I saw it with my Dad and…"

"It felt wrong."

"Right."

"Felicity Smoak said she never owned a building or a company. I don't know what's going on here but after you left, I was starting to have these…"

"Visions?" Diggle inquired.

"These… memory flashes. I'm getting them too. John, what's happening to us?"

"I don't know. I've seen some strange things in the Stan, even stranger things as the Hood, but this… look, after you left, I tried to draw one these memory flashes as you call them." Diggle pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket. "I've never been much of an artist, but here's what I came up with."

Diggle unfolded it and Oliver looked down at it. It looked like a skeletal head with a red dot in the forehead.

"What's going on?" Diggle asked him.

"I don't know. I've been remembering things. I don't think any of this is real." Oliver admitted.

"We're real, but whatever's playing these head games with us, I don't think it's fully working." Diggle told him.

"Are you sure? Because the Queen's Gambit…" Oliver trailed of as his eyes widened in realization. "They put me in a world where I never got on my father's boat."

"Oliver, I don't know if these are memories or feelings, but I think you're a hero and I don't think it's because of any boat." Diggle told him.

"These head games aren't over. They are gonna push back against whatever we do." Oliver told him.

"Push back? Like how?" Diggle wondered.

A man in black and orange mask and an armor, with a sword suddenly appeared, attacking Oliver and Diggle, who both dodged and fought back before Sara disarmed him, grabbing his sword and stabbed him through his chest.

"How did I do that?" Sara wondered in amazement, realizing what she had just done.

* * *

Sara, Oliver and Diggle entered the empty corridor in the manor. "Alright, this is hard to explain." Oliver said.

"Start trying." Sara demanded.

"We think it's some sort of a shared hallucination." Diggle deduced.

"That's crazy." Sara scoffed. "Not as crazy as me knowing kung-fu but it's definitely out there."

"That wasn't kung-fu, that was Jeet Kun Do and I think you learned that in a place called Nanda Parbat." Oliver realized.

"Nothing you are saying is making sense; none of this is making sense." Sara wailed.

"Sara, what is the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know!" Sara snapped.

"I mean before you and Henry came here yesterday." Oliver insisted. "What is the last thing that you remember?"

Sara tried as a memory flashed of her, the Legends and Spartan and Speedy and Arsenal fighting the Justice League.

"You remembered something. Sara, concentrate."

"There was a fight…" Sara remembered. "Then we were taken."

"Taken where?" Diggle asked.

"I don't know." Sara admitted.

"Who was fighting?"

"You two…" Sara looked at Oliver and Diggle. "Ray, Thea… Henry… Barbara… Tommy… Roy… if this is some kind of a shared hallucination, then how do we wake up?"

"By getting out of here." Diggle suggested. "Smoak Technologies building; maybe the reason why the place seems so strange is that's the way we get out of here; wherever here is."

* * *

_**Present, real time, Star City** _

"What do you want?" Washington asked as Wild Dog got up on his feet.

"You stole something from Van Horn Industries."

"You mean this?" She asked as she pointed at him with a piece of tech on her finger.

"Yeah. Hand it over." Wild Dog ordered.

"Or what?"

"I'll take it from you."

"I doubt that." Washington fired as Wild Dog dodged, retaliating with gunfire from his pistols. "Do you want to give up?"

"I'm just getting started."

"So am I." She fired again before Wonder Woman showed up with her shield, blocking the blast while the Flash dragged Wild Dog away and engaged Washington, pummeling her while Supergirl showed up and Flash turned around.

"Remember what we trained?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Yeah, passing!" Flash realized as he grabbed Washington and ran at super-speed, throwing her to Wonder Woman who used her shield to throw Washington up and Supergirl slammed Washington to the ground, knocking her out.

" _That was awesome._ " Ragman said enthusiastically.

"And we've only scratched the surface." Katana quipped.

Mr. Terrific pulled the regulator out of Washington's finger.

"Thanks for the save." Wild Dog said.

"Is that all you have to say?" Supergirl asked.

"I don't do apologies, sweetheart…" Rene took off his mask. "But if superpowers are a thing, then it's good there are guys like you to help the world. You know, the Bat and the Green would have kicked my ass if I had talked to them like that."

"Yeah." Supergirl nodded as everyone laughed.

"It would be fun to play with that thing." Catwoman said, looking at the piece of tech.

"Don't even think about it." Katana growled.

"What?" Catwoman shrugged.

* * *

They were all enjoying the dinner as Thea and Tommy were talking to Malcolm and Sara approached Ray, dragging him to the fireplace. "Ray, doesn't this all feel weird to you?"

"A little." Ray admitted, looking at Felicity.

"I need you to think." Sara implored.

"She's not my fiancée." Ray realized. "My fiancée's name is… was… Anna. What's happening?"

"You're remembering."

* * *

"Barbara, you know that none of this is real." Oliver inquired. "I need you to remember."

Barbara paused before looking at Henry and his daughter, another memory flooding.

* * *

Barbara, Nicole and Henry were looking at a grave as Henry knelt down, running his fingers on the carving. "Ashley… I'm sorry I failed you…"

"You did your best, Hank." Barbara assured him.

"I wasn't a good man back then…"

"You were, you just didn't want to admit it to yourself… you can still come back from it." Nicole assured him. "But promise me that you'll stop. That you won't let the past blind you anymore; that you won't try to fix things for others, no matter what… I don't want to lose you again. Don't go down that path again, please… You're my brother."

"And my best friend." Barbara held his hand. "We love you. Keep that in mind. You'll never be alone…"

* * *

Barbara stumbled as she was trying to walk on a small catwalk, holding her hands on railing as Henry held her.

"Easy, Babs." Henry smiled as she laughed at him.

"I don't know what would I do without you."

"You were there for me when I got low, only fair for me to be there for you."

* * *

"You're right, Oliver, this place feels odd." Barbara agreed as she approached Henry, who was playing with his daughter. "Hank…" He looked at her in surprise.

"My friends call me 'Hank'."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" He nodded, following her to a corner. "Do you remember being in a car accident? Focus." She implored as Henry looked at his daughter, the memory flashing as he tensed. "You know that none of this is real. We don't belong here."

Henry stared at the girl at the bar. "Why would we leave?" Henry asked, hurt. "In this life; there are no mercenaries… my daughter is alive… we're happy…"

"But it's not real."

"It's real for me!" Henry snapped. "I can't leave her again, Barbara, don't make me abandon my daughter, please. Not again." He said as tears started to form in her eyes.

Barbara sighed, feeling like if there was no hope for him.

* * *

"Where's Henry, Tommy and Thea?" Diggle asked as he, Ray, Roy and Sara were waiting.

"They're not coming!" Barbara said.

"What?" Sara exclaimed. "We can't leave…"

"They won't listen!" Oliver yelled. "You know what we have to do?"

"Yeah, get to a building that my non-existent fiancée owns, which is strange, coming from a guy who's able to shrink." Ray quipped.

"Whatever we do, we have to do it fast, whatever the Dominators have done to us, they would have built in safeguards, probably manifestations from our memories to keep us in…" Oliver screamed as an arrow suddenly stuck from his shoulder and he pulled it out as suddenly, in the garden appeared Malcolm Merlyn, Roy in red hoodie and with a deadly look like when he was on Mirakuru, Deathstroke, Prometheus, Damien Darhk, Joker, a couple of Ghosts and mercs with Shadowspire logo and a man with black and orange mask, just like the ones in Siege.

"They're not real." Oliver said.

"They certainly look real." Thea quipped as she, Tommy and Henry showed up. "But let's not get into that right now."

"Speedy?" Oliver stared at his sister and his friends.

"We changed our minds, OK? Rather to live a nightmare that's real than a dream that's a lie." Henry noted, smiling at Sara.

"I lost my family once, I'm not losing it again." Thea noted, smiling at Oliver and Roy.

They all engaged their respective nemesises. "You can't beat me, Thea!" Malcolm snarled.

"We'll see about that!" Thea hissed.

Oliver dodged Deathstroke's sword before kicking him back while Sara engaged Darhk. "I couldn't kill your sister, guess I'll have to settle for you."

Ray engaged the man in black and orange mask while Diggle fought with the Ghost and Henry was fending off the Shadowspire mercs, grabbing a gun of one of them and shooting some of them down before throwing more guns to Ray and Diggle, who used them to shoot down their foes.

Barbara engaged Joker, who pulled out a crowbar and she dodged, kicking him back. "Wanna try the wheelchair again, sweetheart?"

"Never again, freak!" Barbara snarled as she grabbed his crowbar and bashed him in the head three times as the blood spattered.

Tommy caught the arrow Prometheus fired and threw it back at him, hitting him in the heart as he rushed at the corpse, throwing a knife to Sara, who knocked Darhk on the ground and stabbed him in the head before throwing it at Malcolm's knee, who knelt down and Thea pulled an arrow from his quiver and stabbed him in his throat before throwing the bow and arrow to Oliver, who used it to fire an arrow through Deathstroke's eye. Roy in red hoodie knocked the real Roy down on the floor before the real Roy kicked him back as Roy on Mirakuru stumbled back and Thea threw him a flechette and the real Roy used it to end his nightmare.

"Dad?" A young girl cried out from behind as Henry turned around, rushing to his daughter. "Dad, what's going…"

"Ashley. It… it's hard to explain… but… I have to go. I'm sorry." Henry said hurtfully, with tears in his eyes. "We all have to."

"What? Why?" Ashley wailed. "Dad, you can't leave me, please, not again… I don't want to be alone!"

Henry hugged her tightly as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "You'll always be with me, honey. And you'll always be my little girl. I love you." He sobbed out.

"I love you too, Dad." Ashley cried out as Henry approached his friends. "Daddy, don't leave me here, please! Daddy!"

Henry could barely keep his tears in check as Barbara and Sara held his hand.

* * *

They all entered Smoak Technologies building as a small portal showed up on the wall. "Either that's the way out of here or we gotta clip our heels together three times and say " _There's no place like home._ "" Ray noted.

"And if that doesn't work?" Sara asked.

"It has to work." Oliver said as he held Diggle groaning on his shoulder. "He's running out of time. Come on."

They all entered the portal before Oliver turned around, seeing holograms of Moira, Tommy, Robert and William.

" _You're never without me, my beautiful boy._ "

" _I know I called you a murderer but you are not; you are a hero._ "

" _Survive. This is your responsibility now._ "

" _Dad…_ "

Oliver entered the portal as he looked sad.

* * *

**_Dominator ship_ **

Everyone groaned as they went out from the pods and Henry almost fell down as Barbara caught him.

"Easy." Barbara said and Diggle groaned, holding his hip.

"You alright?" Oliver asked.

"It may not be real but it still hurts like a son of a bitch." Diggle growled.

"Uh, guys, there's something you really need to see." Ray said as they looked out the window into the endless void of space.

* * *

_**The Lair** _

"The only thing I got from that Dominator tech is soup." Curtis said as he showed the tablet.

"That's Gematria." Rory noted.

"Numerology of Torah." Bruce nodded.

"Wait a minute, you're saying that Dominator's language is based on Old Testament?" Diana asked.

"At least it shares commonalities." Rory said. "A proof of Divine work perhaps?"

"Eight terran captives." Naomi said as she looked at the screen. "The signal is coming from -3.127 latitude and -23.7387 longitude."

"Wait, since when do geographical coordinates have negative numbers?" Laurel asked as suddenly, it clicked for Bruce as he grabbed his comms.

"Lantern, you need to get into space, now! And try to reach the Waverider while you're at it!"

* * *

**_Dominator ship_ **

Oliver and the rest were sneaking past the Dominators as Barbara was holding Henry on her shoulder before they encountered a lot of them in a corridor. Oliver grabbed a weapon from a wall, firing at the Dominators as they all turned around, running to a small pod.

"Can any one of you fly this thing?" Sara asked.

"One way to find out." Oliver quipped. "Between the nine of them, somebody might."

* * *

Thea placed her hand on a pedestal as more pedestals showed up.

"And Mom said it wouldn't amount to anything if I didn't go to college." She quipped.

"Let's get out of here!"

* * *

The pod flied out from the mothership as a few moments later an entire fleet followed them and they tried to evade the attack before Waverider showed up with a tractor beam, getting the heroes to safety and the Green Lantern used a barrage of missiles from his ring to destroy the fleet following them.

* * *

**_A moment later, Waverider_ **

"Oliver, nice clothes, shopping at Alien Gap?" Nate quipped.

"Not funny, Nate." Oliver growled. "We need new clothes."

"How did you find us?" Sara asked.

"Your nerd army back on Earth did." Nate noted.

"I'm gonna take Dig and Henry to the med-bay, have Gideon patch them up."

"Whoever Gideon is." Diggle muttered as he and Henry, limping, followed her.

"Get out!" Thea quipped, staring at the cockpit.

"Wow, this is total Star Wars rip-off!" Tommy said cheerfully like a geek.

"We got another problem." Ray noted. "After we woke up, I took a look at the tech that the Dominators used to keep us under. They're using neuromorphic interface, similar to how I control my ATOM suit."

"What does that mean?" Thea asked.

"I think the shared hallucination was to keep us occupied while the Dominators were probing our subconscious, I'm guessing looking for intel." Then it hit him. "Maybe they didn't choose us at random, maybe they chose us because we couldn't fight back."

"Because none of you are metahumans." Nate agreed.

"What intel? What is their plan?" Oliver asked.

Ray repeated what he had heard upon the ship. "Klick-clack-too-nick-lava-shack-too."

"Gesundheit." Thea whispered.

"It's what one of the Dominators said to another." Ray corrected.

"Gideon…" Oliver ordered.

" _Translating._ "

"Ever thought things would get this weird?" Thea quipped.

" _The phrase loosely translates to: "We are nearing completion of the weapon."_ "

"What weapon?" Ray asked.

" _I'm afraid I have no idea but I am tracking the Dominator ship you have escaped from and it seems at a direct course for Earth._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	10. Invasion - Part 3 - Fixing a Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Justice League, the Legends and the Birds of Prey prepare for a final fight with the aliens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

_**S.T.A.R. Labs Hangar** _

"Thanks for getting Roy and Thea home." Oliver told Nate gratefully.

"I can't believe that you guys escaped an alien spaceship; key words – alien spaceship." Cisco said, excited. "I have questions."

"They can wait." Oliver said before glaring at him. "And you just couldn't keep your mouth shut, couldn't you?"

Cisco scoffed. "He had to come clean, Oliver…"

"In a middle of war with aliens?!" Oliver snarled. "Didn't you think that there would be time for that later?!" He raised his voice.

"We can't trust Barry anymore, Oliver!"

"Save it  _and_  grow up, Cisco!" Oliver shot back. "I get that you two have issues and it's not something you can simply just get past but we're in a middle of war with aliens; if you can't keep your personal feelings aside during a mission, you're a liability! Besides, it's not like Barry just upright murdered your brother, so either you can stop whining like a little child and focus and be useful, or get out and don't come back here until it's over!" Bruce, Diana and most of the Justice League, alongside with Laurel, Tommy, Barbara, Oliver, Tatsu and Henry glared at Cisco, not that he was affected by it not one bit.

"Fine, I'll keep working on how to fend off Dominators, if you want, almighty Oliver." Cisco said sarcastically as he raised his hands in surrender and waltzed off.

"What's the status, Bruce?" Oliver asked.

"Nothing since they were probing in your minds." Bruce said.

"But why?" Barbara asked.

"Maybe they were trying to pit us against each other, in order to gain intel about metahumans?" Ray deduced.

"Metas pose the biggest threat to their invasion; it would make sense they would want to get to know their enemies." Kara noted.

"By kidnapping people; perhaps they were searching your minds for potential vulnerabilities." Stein agreed.

"I think it's time that we returned the favor." Oliver suggested.

"What do you wanna do, kidnap one of them?" Diggle asked.

"Ever since we fought off that one ship, they've been in short supply." Barry noted.

"Hal tried to find them but he couldn't risk drawing their attention back to Earth." Bruce warned.

"I know where to find them." Nate remembered as he approached one of the computers in the hangar. "I've been reviewing some of the old army footage of their first encounter with Dominators and I think I pegged the fight to…" The monitors showed black and white forage of soldiers fighting in the desert against a Dominator. "Redmond, Oregon, 1951."

"You're suggesting that we travel back to 1951, abduct a Dominator, and interrogate it to determine their intention?" Stein asked.

"They kidnapped us. Seems fair." Sara pointed out.

"Time travel, I'm definitely in." Cisco said, excited.

"Hold on, Cisco, professor Stein, Caitlin and the rest are figuring out the way to take down the Dominators; they could probably use your help." Barry said.

"Pass." Cisco glowered and Barry winced.

"Cisco!" Laurel snapped at him but Cisco just scoffed, ignoring the fierce glares they were throwing at him.

"Barbara, Henry; you're coming with Mick and Amaya as a backup." Oliver ordered as Barbara and Henry nodded.

"And the new president called; which would be cool under different circumstances; she wants to meet with us." Barry said.

"Let's bring Ray and Sara as backup." Oliver suggested.

"What about me? I can be a backup." Kara volunteered.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Oliver gestured aside with his head as Kara followed him. "I would like to minimize your involvement in this."

"Why?" Kara asked offended. "Because I'm an alien? No offense, Oliver but you have here a cyborg, an intergalactic cop, a king of Atlantis and a demi-goddess; we're your biggest weapons."

"This isn't personal, Kara but to me, you all are unknown quantities."

"Except that's exactly how this feels, Oliver." Diana said, approaching him and hearing the conversation.

"When I was starting this live, it was just me, I went against human threats; that I can handle; then it was metahumans and I can handle that; and last year, I went against magic; this year it's multiple Earths, aliens brainwashing…"

"I'm sure that was unnerving." Kara reasoned.

"I don't get unnerved." Oliver said, with a forced calm tone. "But when I go against something new, I push back. Right or wrong, it's just who I am and it's just what I do, so I'm asking for a little bit of space because I have to draw the line somewhere. I need to claw back a sense of normalcy. Please, stay here."

"Oliver, don't you think we deserve a benefit of the doubt?" Diana asked. "Everyone here trusts us; why not you? I think people like Kara, me, Arthur or Victor deserve a chance."

"Because last time I gave someone benefit of the doubt, people I cared about got hurt in ways that scarred them all forever and the world found out who I am, remember?" Oliver reminded as Kara and Diana winced. "You were there, Kara; blind trust is not exactly a luxury I can afford. I'm sorry."

* * *

_**1951, Redmond, Oregon** _

As Amaya, Mick and Nate went out hunting, Barbara, Cisco and Henry were in Waverider as Cisco was lying on the floor, annoyed.

"I… never want… to… do this… again…" Henry groaned as he recovered from the time jump. "I'm glad I'm back on my feet."

Barbara nudged Cisco on the floor with her foot. "Cisco, be honest with us. You didn't come on the ship to time travel, you came to avoid Barry in 2016." Cisco got up on his feet and was about to open his mouth before Barbara raised her hand, interrupting him. "Don't try to dodge it, OK?"

"OK, I wanted to get away from Barry!" Cisco snapped, stretching his arms.

"Cisco, don't you see how childish you are?" Barbara snapped back. "I know about the issues with time traveling and Barry causing your brother's death; it's not like he put a gun to his…"

"I don't need to hear this, OK?!" Cisco shot back. "He needed to save his family and doing that, he ended up destroying mine!"

"And what would you have done, if you had the same powers Barry had and a metahuman had just killed a member of your family?" Henry retorted. "Can you honestly tell us that you wouldn't have done the exact same thing? Going back in time, saving them, regardless the consequences? It's not like he knew what would happen. If I had a chance to go back and save my daughter after I had just lost her, I wouldn't hesitate to take it. And Sara, she might have caused Oliver being outed by saving Laurel; you didn't even think of that?"

Cisco glowered, sighing as he leaned onto the desk. "You know, all this time traveling, aliens… I used to dream about stuff like this as a kid."

"A lot of kids did." Henry nodded. "My daughter used to dream about angels."

"This doesn't feel like a dream." Cisco said sadly. "It just… feels weird."

"Things always get weird, Cisco." Barbara reasoned. "That's why we have friends to lean on to."

"Barbara and I were there for each other, when one of us got low." Henry added. "Barry's been trying to help you as your friend; don't you think you owe him a chance? He couldn't have known that Dante would die. He just lost his father and was grieving and all he wanted was to save his parents. Do you really think he deserves your hatred? If you and Barry were in opposite positions, what would you have done, if you wanted to save Dante?"

Cisco sighed, knowing they were right but was having a hard time to accept it.

* * *

Later, they saw Mick, Nate and Amaya being tranquilized by government agents. "Oh, shit." Henry swore as he got up from the chair. "This isn't good. We have to do something."

He and Cisco went to the armory as Barbara went to suit up.

* * *

_**Present, Central City** _

"So, where's the president?" Sara asked as she, Green Arrow, Atom, the Flash and Batman were waiting.

"I figured she got a lot on her plate with the whole alien invasion thing." Atom quipped.

"And her predecessor getting killed." Sara agreed.

"Hey, what did you say to Kara earlier? It seemed to me that she seemed angry and I didn't know she was even capable of being angry." Flash asked.

"We've got movement." Sara noticed as they turned around to see black SUVs surrounding them and the agents going out.

From one of the cars went out an elderly man wearing glasses in a suit. "I am sorry. The president couldn't make it."

"And who are you?" The Flash asked.

"If I tell you, I'll have to kill you." The man said.

"I think we have a misunderstanding." Atom tried to reason. "We're the good guys; the president invited us here."

Batman and the Flash glanced at each other and nodded quickly as the Flash rushed at the agents, disarming them before a ' _bang_ ' went off, grazing Atom's armor.

"Sniper!" Green Arrow yelled.

"On it." Flash rushed to the source of gunshot as Green Arrow, Sara, Atom and Batman took down the agents and the Flash neared the elderly man. "We're trying to help you. This is how you thank us?"

"You don't understand." The man said. "The reason the xenomorphs are here…"

"Is because they have a beef with the metahumans; tell us something we don't know." Sara said.

"Like what exactly have we done to them?" The Flash asked.

"Nothing. Yet." The man said. "But they see individuals with powers such as yours as a future threat. And frankly, so do I."

* * *

**_1951, Redmond, Oregon_ **

"Small guarding crew, a couple of prison cells; sounds easy enough." Batgirl said as she, Henry and Cisco rushed in, taking down the guards and opening the cell for Mick, Nate and Amaya.

"You OK?" Henry asked as they nodded. "Good, we gotta get out of here."

"Waverider is ready to take us back to 2016." Cisco said. They went into a corridor before they heard an inhuman shriek from behind.

"What the hell is that?" Henry demanded.

"A Dominator; if we leave him here, they're gonna kill him." Nate said.

"So, what? He's an alien." Mick said passively.

"Just because they're douches, doesn't mean that we have to be." Cisco said.

"He's right; no need to stoop down to their level." Batgirl agreed.

"We gotta send him home." Cisco suggested.

"How?" Amaya asked.

"Don't we have one of their ships on the Waverider?" Cisco asked.

"It's damaged, Cisco." Henry explained.

"We can fix this." Cisco proposed. "Right?"

Henry sighed. "It's not like we have more options to go by."

Again, the shriek went off from the corridor. "That doesn't sound good." Amaya noted.

"Guys, it's time to show the Dominators that we're better than this." Cisco implored.

"I'll cover Cisco and Hank, you take care of that Dominator." Batgirl said.

* * *

Later, the Dominator ship flew away as Cisco held in his hand a small device as they all got into the Waverider.

"What's that?" Barbara asked.

"I think it's a transponder." Cisco said.

"How did you get this?" Henry asked.

"I may or may not have stolen it from his ship." Cisco quipped as Henry and Barbara stared at him, widening eyes to the size of table tennis balls.

"Cisco, are you crazy? What if that thing's bugged? Or if it compromises our tech?!" Barbara yelled. "You can't just steal some alien tech just like that,  _much less_  from the past!"

"What harm could it do?" Cisco shrugged. "He could say ' _thank you_ '."

Barbara and Henry groaned. "You're an idiot." Henry muttered. "Let's get out of here before I knock his teeth off."

* * *

**_Present, Central City_ **

Sara asked. "If you're such BFFs with the Dominators…"

"Then why don't you call them off?" Green Arrow added.

"We know you sent them packing before in 1951." Atom pointed out.

"That was just a reconnaissance mission." The elderly man said.

"What brought them back?" The Flash asked.

The man neared the speedster. "You did, Mr. Allen."

"He knows who you are." Atom whispered.

"You threatened the entire universe when you used your powers to upset the normal course of time." The man explained.

"You're talking about Flashpoint?" Atom asked. "How do you even…"

"They told us."

"I made a mistake, OK? I won't let that happen again." The Flash tried to reason.

"For the past sixty years, we have enjoyed the truce with the so-called ' _Dominators_ '. You broke the truce." The man said as the Flash turned his head, guilt and shame flooding.

"What do they want?" Batman asked.

"I negotiated a deal with them." The man explained. "If Mr. Allen surrenders himself, they will leave us in peace." He looked at the Flash. "You really want to save the world? Here's your chance."

* * *

**_S.T.A.R. Labs Hangar_ **

"This is insane!" Diana protested upon hearing the news. "Barry can't do this! And we cannot trust that the Dominators will uphold their end of the bargain!"

"If they're that threatened by metahumans, it's hard to believe that they'll be satisfied with just one." Ray agreed.

"If I know Barry, he's gonna want to be that one." Cisco noted.

"Bruce and Oliver are trying to talk him out of it." Sara said.

"What's the collateral damage of their bomb, if Barry won't give himself up?" Victor asked.

"Projected casualty count is two million non-metahumans." Cisco said, to everyone's shock.

"And what if we negotiate with them?" Nate suggested.

"I don't know if you noticed but our last chat didn't go so well!" Cisco snapped.

"What do we got to lose?" Nate asked.

"It's worth trying." Tatsu said. "But I doubt they'll listen."

"We have a bigger problem." Diggle said as a screen behind them turned itself on. "Dominator ships are coming worldwide."

"Including Central City." Cisco noticed.

"They're just standing there and doing nothing, for now at least." Diana noticed.

"So much for the truce that secret agent negotiated." Ray drawled.

"They're trying to leverage us into handing Barry over." Sara realized.

* * *

"This isn't up for debate." Barry said in front of the Birds of Prey, the Legends and the Justice League. "It's not even a close call. If I turn myself over to the Dominators, they'll leave the rest of the world alone. Simple."

"It's not that simple." Tatsu disagreed.

"You can't commit suicide, Barry." Laurel implored. "You can't."

"It doesn't matter what you've done; you can't do this." Diggle agreed.

"Sacrificing yourself to save the world; that's not an answer." Diana implored, remembering a sacrifice of someone she had loved… a lifetime ago.

"It's been an honor to know all of you; to fight alongside you." Barry said. "Now it's up to you to keep our home safe." Barry was walking away before hearing Oliver's voice.

"Barry! I'm not letting you leave!"

Barry smiled. "No offense, Oliver but you and what army?" He turned around to face the Justice League, the Birds of Prey, the Legends, Cisco, Henry, Tommy and Diggle.

"This one." Kara quipped.

"We're all in this together, Barry." Bruce said. "All for one, and one for all."

"Listen, Red, I don't like you; but when you have a crew, you don't take a hit for the rest." Mick said and Barry smiled.

"That was actually pretty inspiring… up until the point where Mick compared us to a bunch of criminals but…"

"According to the Dominators, we might as well be." Amaya noted.

"And they may have a point." Arthur nodded. "We might make things worse than better but this is our chance to find out."

"But don't think, not even for a single moment, that we're going to let you sacrifice yourself so that we could live." Diana insisted. "Someone I cared for once did that a lifetime ago for me and the rest; and the world and I were poorer for his sacrifice."

"We're not letting you sacrifice yourself." Cisco approached him. "No way. I don't care if it means to be a hero; you're not a hero to me. You're my friend."

"Yo, guys!" Jax and Sara rushed in. "The mothership that landed in Central City?"

"It's opening up."

"Here we go." Oliver quipped.

* * *

"The entire fleet is scouring the entire Earth!" Victor said as he looked at the monitor. "And looks like they're deploying their meta-bomb."

Laurel widened her eyes. "That doesn't make any sense; why would the dropships…"

"It was just a diversion; they're trying to keep us busy, so we can't stop the meta-bomb!" Oliver realized.

* * *

"Too bad because we're gonna stop it, right, honey?" Henry asked Sara as they and Cisco were aboard the timeship.

"Let's hope." Sara said.

* * *

"OK, Stein has small devices that are gonna put the Dominators through a lot of pain." Bruce said.

"But we need to do it fast because if we won't, they'll know what they're up to." Stein said.

"Barry, Kara, you're up." Oliver ordered.

* * *

Sara flied the Waverider near a large metallic bomb as Cisco and Henry widened their eyes.

"Damn, that is…"

"Huge. Now what?"

"You got me." Sara said. "I only know how to punch, stab and skewer things."

* * *

Green Arrow, Spartan, Merlyn, Katana, Batgirl, Huntress, Catwoman, Atom, Vixen, Steel, Firestorm, Heat Wave, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batman, Supergirl, Aquaman and Cyborg were facing the Dominators on a rooftop as they rushed at them, engaging them in close combat as Green Arrow and Merlyn fired their arrows, Spartan from his gun, Huntress from her crossbow, Heat Wave from his flamethrower, Atom, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Firestorm were giving an air support and Batman, Katana, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Vixen, Steel and Aquaman engaged the aliens in close combat.

"Fry, you freaks!" Heat Wave roared as the Flash was placing the devices on the Dominators. Supergirl shot the Dominators with her heat vision and Green Lantern was using energy blasts from his ring as they flied in the air.

* * *

The timeship was tilting as Sara tried to keep it steady.

"It's slowing down but like… barely." Cisco noted.

"Oh, really? Very perceptive of you!" Henry snapped as the ship trembled.

"Strap in, guys!" Sara ordered. "Firestorm, Lantern, if you guys are done playing defense out there, we could really use your help!"

* * *

The Justice League, the Birds of Prey and the Legends kept fending off the Dominators as one of them tossed the Green Arrow off the roof before Supergirl caught him and got him back on the roof, while the Flash kept placing the devices on the aliens throughout the city.

* * *

" _Flash, Supergirl, they're still all over the country, we need your help!_ " Laurel yelled over the comms.

* * *

"Firestorm, Lantern, we're holding it up!" Sara said as she kept trying to keep the Waverider steady.

"But… like… barely…"

"Not helping, Cisco!" Sara and Henry snapped simultaneously.

* * *

Green Lantern tried to help the Waverider keep the bomb in the air as Firestorm landed on the bomb, touching it and trying to transmute it.

* * *

"Naomi, now!" Green Arrow ordered as the Dominators suddenly started to scream in excruciating agony and teleporting away. "It's working."

"What about the superhero bomb?" Heat Wave asked.

* * *

"I can't! I can't do it!" Jax groaned as he struggled with transmuting the bomb.

" _You must, Jefferson._ " Stein insisted. " _I have a daughter. Her name is Lily and she's counting on you. She's counting on both of us._ " Jax screamed out, trying to put all his power into it…

* * *

… as the bomb transmuted into water, falling down upon the city.

* * *

"We did it!" Henry yelled cheerfully as he jumped out from his seat.

"We did it!" Sara exclaimed as she and Henry hugged each other and kissed and Cisco rolled his eyes.

"Get a room, you two."

* * *

"It's working, guys, they're disappearing from all around the world." Naomi said as she looked at the screen.

* * *

"They did it." Oliver said.

"No, Oliver." Kara disagreed.

"We all did it." Barry corrected as the Justice League, the Birds of Prey and the Legends looked at the sky at the Dominator mothership flying away.

* * *

**_Later, S.T.A.R. Labs Hangar_ **

After a ceremony at which the Justice League, the Birds of Prey, the Legends and the rest of the heroes were praised, they all started to celebrate as they were enjoying champagne, save for Laurel and Bruce grabbed Oliver and Diana by their arms as he dragged them aside.

"Well, I wanted to say ' _thank you_ ', Oliver." Bruce smiled at him. "It was nice to know how much we all can accomplish if we work together. I see that the idea of forming the Justice League has brought good fruits as seen from cooperating with your and Lyla's team."

"It has, Bruce." Oliver nodded.

"But, if another alien threat shows up again, we need more eyes in the space, because as we have seen, we are not alone." Bruce said as Oliver narrowed his eyes.

"What are you proposing?" Oliver asked.

"I think we need to create some kind of base of operations, the kind that can observe threats not just on Earth but from outer space as well."

"You mean that you want to build a space station?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"You don't approve?"

"Considering what had happened… it's not that bad of an idea. We need some kind of a watchtower." Oliver admitted before approaching Laurel, who hugged him and gave him a passionate kiss.

"If they killed you; I would have used Lazarus pit to bring you back and kick your ass." Laurel said as Oliver laughed and hugged her back tightly. "Never scare me like that again."

"You know that won't happen." Oliver said. "I'll always be there if you need me, Laurel. For you and for our baby." He held Laurel's stomach as she smiled at him.

* * *

"Well, that was… interesting." Henry quipped as he and Sara walked down the hangar. "First magic, now aliens, what's next, evil twins from parallel Earth?"

Sara laughed. "I can't imagine." Henry looked at her, smiling.

"So, look, I know that you and Ollie will have to leave soon, so I gotta ask… this… we've been through a lot. Are we going somewhere?" Henry asked hesitantly. "I mean… we don't have exactly a normal romantic relationship but…"

"We have a shot, right?" Sara teased, gently holding Henry's neck.

"So, friend or girlfriend?" Henry asked as she kissed him passionately.

"Girlfriend. Definitely ' _girlfriend_ '." Then she saw Roy and Thea dancing together as she held Henry's hands and they both started to dance together.

* * *

_**A few months later, A.R.G.U.S.** _

Lyla was at her desk, business as usual before someone knocked on the door and she raised her head, tensing.

"Slade. Can I help you?"

"We have a problem." Slade said. "There's a new player. An assassin; like none I've seen before. Deadly, ruthless, leaves collateral damage and a mess behind. Strikes with military precision; he tries to avoid civilian casualties but he's been on radar of a lot of agencies for the past few months, ASIS sent me here to inform you. Your cheerleader team might be needed, Lyla."

"Why do you need the Birds of Prey?" Lyla asked as Slade tossed a file on the desk and Lyla opened it, gasping to see a man in an armor, with a red hood and a red helmet, holding a rifle on the rooftop.

"Do you believe in ghosts? I heard that Barbara Gordon used to know him."

"He's back." Lyla whispered. "Why now? No one has seen him for years…"

"I don't know." Slade said, worried. "But whatever he is up to, the Bat and his friends might be the only people who can stop him before things get messy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	11. Ghosts from the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick's past comes back to haunt him as the Birds of Prey come to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

 

 

 

_**Atlantic City** _

"When was the last time that you actually were in a circus?" Helena teased as she entered the warehouse with Dick.

"It's been a while but Mr. Haly wants me to perform again; it's been almost ten years since my parents…" Dick looked down sadly for a moment.

"I know." Helena held his hand in assurance. "I'm here for you, Dick."

They both looked around the boxes with circus equipment such as cages, trampolines etc. "Mr. Haly? Are you here?" Dick called out.

A few moments later, an elderly man was limping forwards from the shadow, dragging two oxygen tanks on a cart behind him, attached to a breathing mask on his face. "Oh, my God…" Helena whispered.

Dick looked disgusted at the sight of how miserably the man he had known since childhood, the best friend of his parents, looked. "Mr. Haly, are you…"

"Sorry how this all came together, Richard but I don't have much time; damn tumors are eating me from the inside and I… I need you… I need you to make sure you have  _this_  before the cancer finishes the job…" He handed Dick a rolled up sheet of paper. "The deed… to everything on the road… the circus… is now yours, kid…"

" _What_?" Both Helena and Dick gasped.

"Mr. Haly, I can't accept…"

"Can't accept this  _why_?" Haly laughed quietly. "Too busy being the " _big-time hero_ "?"

Both Helena and Dick were surprised, yet again. "What the…? How do you know…?"

"I watched that kiddo grow up and learn how to fly." Haly smiled in pride. "The others may not have known what he does but I always have. And I know it's not who you were supposed to be, Richard. Especially since I've always planned to let your parents take over my legacy."

"You wanted to give my family the circus?" Dick gasped, stunned.

"I… I've made a lot of mistakes over the years, Richard." Haly looked at Dick like if he was being proud of his own son. "And I have a lot of regrets. But my deepest regret is what happened to you…. To your parents. Haly's were always supposed to be a part of who you are. We were your family… and I think it's time for you to come back… since I don't have much time left… there's no one else I would entrust this legacy to." He handed Dick the will as he picked it and read it, tears forming in his eyes as he passed out, dying.

* * *

"Are you OK?" Helena asked as Dick was reading the will in the private jet.

"Yeah, I guess." Dick said hesitantly. "I… I just need to process this. That kind of responsibility…"

"I understand." Helena nodded.

"I'm sorry I hadn't told you sooner, I didn't know how to reach out to you." A red-haired woman in black tank top told Dick as she showed up from the room behind Dick's seat. It was Raya Vestri, Dick's childhood friend and his old crush, who has been performing in Haly's Circus even after the death of Dick's parents. "Look, can I talk to you in private? Please."

Helena narrowed her eyes, jealous but Dick smiled at her, assuring her. "It's gonna be OK, Helena. I promise."

"I hope I won't find you two screwing around when I get back." Helena joked as she went into her room but Dick noticed the hint of icy tone in her voice as he smirked.

Raya neared Dick's ear as soon as she was sure Helena was not listening. "Look, there's something Mr. Haly was gonna tell you but he didn't have much time left, OK?"

"I think I know more than enough…"

"No, you don't understand." Raya hissed, visibly frightened. "A few weeks ago, someone showed up, I don't know who but he basically threatened Mr. Haly to get you back into the circus."

" _What_?" Dick scowled. "Why? What does it have to do with me? What do they want from me? Who are they?"

"I don't know. I didn't want to confront him because I was afraid I'd get into trouble but now that he's dead…" Raya's eyes were full of fear. "I'm afraid that if you return to the circus, you won't last a day."

Dick chuckled as he held her hands. "Raya, look, I can take care of myself, I promise."

Raya nodded. "I don't doubt that… but I just want you to know that you need to watch your back." The proximity at which they were was making the atmosphere tense as they were about to near their lips but Dick stopped himself.

"Whoa… maybe not when Helena is around. She'd kill us both."

Raya giggled. "Better go to your girlfriend before she skins me alive."

* * *

Dick and Helena both groaned in their bed as someone knocked on the door. " _Mr. Grayson? You have a phone call._ "

"Just make it quick, OK?" Helena yawned as she kissed him.

Dick put on his pants as he opened the door and the pilot handed him a cellphone as a caller with a private number called him. "Hello?"

" _I'm not normally one to give my name to a person I'm about to destroy… but I'm willing to make an exception for a certain "hero"._ "

"Who is this?" Dick scowled.

" _You can call me Saiko… if I can call you "Nightwing"_." Dick tensed. ' _He_ _ **knows**_ _._ ' " _Pain is a powerful motivator… I gave Haly an incentive to tell me everything… Batman, Robin, Nightwing…_ "

"What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"

" _You will find out soon enough. Let's just say that the bill has come due._ " Saiko hung up as Dick glared at the phone.

Helena yawned as she woke up, looking at Dick. "Is everything OK?"

Dick looked at Helena, smiling. "Yeah, it's fine. Really."

* * *

_**Gotham City Cemetery** _

At the funeral attended Barbara, Dick, Raya, Helena and most of the members of Haly's circus who were old friends of Dick.

"He was a good man." Dick said sadly as he held the will in his hands. "But… why me? I never wanted to be in charge…"

"We're right behind you, Dick." One of Dick's old friends from circus assured him.

"You've got some nerve, Grayson!" A tall man in his 30s approached Dick with a bottle of scotch in his hand.

"Bryan, calm down!" Two people tried to restrain him.

"You think you can just stroll down in here and take it? Like the circus is just yours... my Dad's legacy to you just because he gave you a stupid piece of paper?" Bryan Haly yelled.

"I'm not here to take anything, Bryan…"

"Come on, Bryan, that's enough, you're drunk…" The people were dragging him away.

"Damn right you're not taking anything! I got news for you, Grayson, my Dad's not around to help you anymore! He's  _dead_! You hear me?! He…" Bryan broke down in tears as he knelt down. "He's… actually dead…" The people around were trying to assure him.

"Poor man…" Barbara whispered.

"The old man loved Bryan. More than anything…" Dick whispered. "Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't entrust the circus to him."

"When Bryan had heard that Mr. Haly was diagnosed with cancer, he just couldn't handle it and grabbed the bottle." Raya explained. "Lot of people tried to help but…"

Dick nodded as he saw Bryan sobbing, burying his head to the ground.

* * *

"Did this guy who threatened Mr. Haly have a name?" Dick asked Raya as he accompanied her to her car.

"Never heard it… but he admitted that he was… some kind of a contract killer. I didn't know what to think, Dick." Raya said, frightened. "He said that he was one of the biggest in Chicago…"

"That was him?" Dick gasped.

"Yeah." Raya had tears in her eyes. "Jesus, I don't know what to think, Dick. First your parents, then Raymond, now this…"

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Raya. I promise." Dick smiled at her as she entered her car. "Just watch your back, OK?"

"You too." Raya smiled at him as she drove away.

Barbara approached Dick as she looked at him, worried. "You OK?"

"Yeah… I just remembered my parents… and Raymond, you know?"

"Raymond McCreary?" Barbara blinked. "He grew up with you and Raya, right?"

"Yeah. It's all just… dredging up." Dick tried to steady his breathing as the tragedies he had endured resurfaced in his mind. Raya and Raymond were once upon a time Dick's childhood friends but Raymond had died in a car accident. "Keep your eyes peeled, OK? If Saiko shows up…"

"We'll stop him." Barbara promised.

* * *

_**Nicole Fyff's House, Gotham City** _

"Well, you're doing better now, Laurel." Nicole chuckled as Laurel was shaking the frying pan, with the steak on it.

"If the house burns down, I'll be haunting you from the grave." Henry joked as he, Sara, Oliver and Riley with Mia were at the table.

"I should make a checklist what food to cook for my baby." Laurel teased.

"Mom, how long is it gonna…"

"Just a minute, honey!" Nicole assured Riley.

"I'm hungry as a wolf." Mia said, excited.

Laurel then got a call on her phone as she picked it up. "Hey, Barbara. Uh-huh. I see. OK." She looked at Oliver and everyone. "I can ask." She hung up, looking at everyone. "So, is anyone in for some circus next week?"

* * *

_**The following week, Haly Circus** _

"I hope I don't look too ridiculous." Oliver said dryly as he used H.R. Wells's facial transmogrification device, disguising his real face for most of the people as he, with everyone else sat in their seats.

"This is a bad idea… why the hell we go here?" Henry muttered as he looked at his sister and nephew a few rows in front of them.

"Anything happens, you get them both out of here. We got this." Laurel assured him as Dick went on the stage and everyone applauded.

"Welcome everyone. My name is Richard Grayson… I guess I would like to thank you all for coming tonight… for supporting my parents. John and Mary Grayson. I've never been someone who's great at dealing with the things he'd rather avoid. Especially if one of those things is  _me_. But as I stand here tonight, looking at all the hard work everyone at Haly's has put in… well, being here reminds me of that even though I have lost my parents, I'll never lose my family." Barbara and Henry smiled at him proudly. "And with that kind of support, there's nothing I can't deal with. So, thank you all for enjoying the show!" The crowd applauded as Dick left the stage.

* * *

Tatsu was scouring the backstage as Selina was on trapeze disguised as one of the acrobats, jumping and trying to amuse the audience as they applauded. "Everything clear up here."

"Nothing in the backstage."

"Wherever this Saiko is, he's got no idea, who he's messing with." Laurel growled.

* * *

Dick went into the backstage as an alarm bleeped on his phone. He went on full alert mode as he picked up his Nightwing outfit. "He's here!"

* * *

"Nicky, we need to go!" Henry picked his sister and nephew.

"What's going…"

"It's gonna get messy, we need to get out of here, now!" Sara ordered as she, Oliver and Henry were dragging his sister and nephew with Mia through the row of seats.

"Mom, what is…"

"Kids, just run!" Nicole looked at her brother. "It's happening again, is it?" Henry nodded quickly. "Damn it!"

* * *

Nightwing and Batgirl were on girders supporting the roof and trapezes as from above jumped down a man in ninja outfit and goggles, with gloves that had metal claws coming out from the wrists.

"Saiko!" Nightwing picked his batons and blocked Saiko's attack.

"Seems only fitting that in the end it's the same place, where it all started, wouldn't you agree, Dick?"

"Who are you?!" Nightwing demanded.

"It's all been building to this after all; the night, where everything changed."

"I don't know what's going on in your head but one thing is going to change for certain tonight!" Nightwing swished his baton, knocking Saiko back but he used his claws and scratched Nightwing in his knee as he knelt down. Katana ran at him with her sword as he blocked her attack and she kicked him back. "Let's take it outside, Saiko. Just you and me. No one else needs to get hurt."

"You still don't get it, do you, Dick?" Saiko laughed. "I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. You're only supposed to be the fiercest killer." He took off his mask and revealed his face, who Katana did not recognize but Nightwing gasped in disbelief.

"Raymond? But… you're…"

Suddenly, two gunshots hit Saiko in his shoulder and knee as he fell down as Nightwing looked up. "You and I both know that in our wheelhouse, death is rarely permanent, Dickie." The Red Hood said as he aimed his guns at Raymond; Dick's old friend, supposedly dead, now apparently turned into a psychopath.

Dick glanced up, noticing the Red Hood but turning his attention to his old friend, who had scarred face and his eyes looked the same but still, very different… full of hate and malice. "You didn't expect me to be alive, did you, Dick?" He threw two knives as Katana blocked one but the second hit Nightwing in his knee. Raymond jumped up on another ramp, dodging the Red Hood's gunfire. "They came from the shadows and took me, they kidnapped me…. They  _ruined_  me. They turned me into this… and it's your…" He pulled out a small detonator. "And this godforsaken place's fault." Selina jumped up and kicked the detonator off his hand but unfortunately, the trigger button hit the floor as the lighting collapsed, turning the circus on fire.

"No!" Nightwing yelled as everything was exploding.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> This is inspired by The New 52 comics "Batman: The Court of Owls".
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	12. An Unforgettable Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Dick is trying to figure out Raymond's real agenda, an old enemy is slowly preparing for revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

 

 

 

 

"We need to get out of here, now!" Sara, Oliver, Laurel, Diggle, Henry and Nicole were running through the crowd of people as suddenly, they heard explosions and the place was starting to burn and people were panicking.

"Mom!" Riley yelled as he was vanishing in the crowd of people suddenly running away.

"Riley!" Nicole exclaimed as she turned around.

"Nicole, no!" Oliver grabbed her by her hand. "It's too dangerous!"

"Let me go, Oliver, I can't leave…"

"We'll get him back!" Henry assured Nicole. "Laurel, get my sister out of here!"

"Nicky, you need to trust us, OK?" Laurel begged as she dragged Nicole and Mia out.

* * *

Oliver went into a small cabin for maintenance, where was ready a crate with his hood and armor and bow and quiver as he, Sara and Barbara went to suit up.

* * *

"This is where it all ends, hero." Saiko, revealed to be Raymond, mocked as Nightwing and Selina were on a rope, swinging to another lighting, while throwing shurikens at the Red Hood, who jumped down and retaliated with gunfire and Katana rushed at Raymond but he attacked with his claws while Katana blocked with her sword. "Back, where it all began."

* * *

Laurel, Diggle, Mia and Nicole were at the exit door but they would not open as people desperately banged on them.

"The door won't budge!"

"We're trapped!"

" _Saiko_. He must have overridden the stadium controls." Diggle realized.

Diggle turned around and saw the sprinklers spraying water but the fire was still spreading. "It's no use, he must have lit the fire with gasoline! The sprinklers are just making it worse!"

"We need to shut the water system down!" Laurel realized as Diggle ran back.

"Got it!"

* * *

Henry ran through the crowd, calling out. "Riley! Riley!"

"Uncle Hank!" Henry turned his attention to under the seats, where his nephew was behind burning debris.

"Riley, hang on!" Henry yelled as he looked around, grabbing a piece of rebar and using it as crowbar, pulling the debris up. "Go, go, go!" His nephew crawled under the debris as Henry let the crowbar go and grabbed him. "Are you OK? Are you hurt?" Riley shook his head as Henry checked him. "OK, we need to find Mom, come with me, OK?" He nodded as Henry dragged him back to the exit.

* * *

Diggle was turning the valve, yelling in exhaustion as the sprinklers were slowly stopping to spray water but the smoke was filling the stadium as people started to suffocate.

* * *

Katana, Selina, the Red Hood and Nightwing dodged Raymond's claws as he threw knives, cutting the ropes on which was the platform on which they were standing as the platform tilted and they quickly ran and jumped to the scoreboard.

"Who the hell is this guy?" The Red Hood demanded.

"Not now!" Nightwing snapped as he blocked Raymond's attack and Selina kicked him back while Katana engaged him but he kept blocking her sword with his claws and as Katana tried for a fierce strike, Raymond did a salto with an acrobatic grace, honestly impressing the vigilantes.

"I liked your little speech earlier, Dick… about confronting the things you don't want to deal with." Raymond smirked. "Of course, that's what this is about, isn't it?" He jumped over, dodging Katana's attack and kicking both Selina and the Red Hood away from him simultaneously. "If you had stayed with Haly's Circus, none of this would be happening in the first place!" He attacked Nightwing, scratching him across his chest as the Red Hood tried to whack him in the head with his gun but Raymond blocked with his claws and retaliated with a swish of his hand but the Red Hood blocked with his arm and kicked him back.

"I… don't know… what exactly you blame me for, Raymond…"

"For  _leaving_  us, Dick. For letting _them_  ruin me." Raymond said mystically as Nightwing was staring into the eyes of his childhood friend, now full of hate and malice. "The night I "drowned", I wasn't even in the car when it hit the river. They staged the whole thing and for months kept me isolated, my life confined by darkness… surrounded by daggers and claws. Nothing but pain and hopelessness… until the day I broke. Until the day I couldn't feel anything at all. I became  _theirs_ … just another one of the long line of kids that were  _ruined_." Nightwing, Selina, Katana and the Red Hood stared at him in disbelief, honestly pitying him.

"That's what Haly's Circus really is, Dick. A place that destroys children, turns them into… monsters. Except… I wasn't  _good_  enough for them. So, they left me in a forest to die, with birds trying to claw my eyes out!" Raymond roared in anger as he attacked again and Nightwing blocked his attack with his baton. The Red Hood fired again as Raymond kept dodging with acrobatic grace.

"I don't know what the hell are you talking about, Raymond but what I do know…" Nightwing jumped on a trapeze above and landed on Raymond, kicking him as he was falling down but caught the ledge of scoreboard. "…is that killing these people is not going to solve  _anything_!"

Raymond vaulted up as he was about to attack again but he raised his claws as two green arrows were flying towards him and he blocked them as the Green Arrow, White Canary and Batgirl jumped down from above. "You're outnumbered. Give up!" The Green Arrow snarled.

"You'd really kill Bryan, Raya… all the people who were practically your brothers and sisters? People you grew up with? That's not you, Raymond!" Nightwing tried to plead with his former friend, looking into his eyes. "I don't know exactly what do you blame me for but you really gonna kill all those people because of some stupid victim complex?!" Raymond stared at him for a moment. "Let me help you… please. We can stop whoever they are… together." Nightwing lowered his weapon, reaching out with his hand. Raymond looked down in contemplation for a moment before tapping a trigger from his belt and the doors in the stadium finally opened, allowing the people to escape the fire and run outside for fresh air. "That's it, Ray, come on. We can still fix this."

Raymond looked down for a moment, then at the vigilantes and sighed. "I'm sorry… but it's too late for that. Goodbye, Dick." He ran to the ledge as he was falling down but Selina caught his leg with her whip but Raymond cut the rope with his claw as he fell down into the blazing inferno underneath.

"No!" Nightwing exclaimed and stared in sadness, watching as his childhood friend was consumed by the flames as the tears filled his eyes.

Selina and the Red Hood held Nightwing's shoulders, letting him grieve for a moment as Sara and Green Arrow approached him. "Dick, the fire is still spreading."

"Get off the scoreboard, now." Nightwing ordered and Green Arrow suddenly realized what was he planning. They all jumped on trapezes and ramps as Green Arrow fired at the ropes holding the scoreboard as it collapsed and shattered the ground underneath as it collapsed into the catacombs while the sand that burst out from the impact was smothering the fire.

* * *

"What did you tell the cops?" Laurel asked Dick.

"The usual… some maniac wanted to ruin the show and kill people around here and the vigilantes saved the day." Dick chuckled as everyone laughed.

"What are you doing here anyway, Jason?" Barbara asked.

"I encountered a group of those ninjas a while back, chasing them around for months. I tracked this one here to Gotham." Jason explained.

"So, you think that these are the same people, who staged Raymond's death and turned him into an assassin?" Laurel asked.

"It's possible." Dick admitted.

"Who are they and what are they up to?" Henry asked.

"That's what we need to find out." Oliver decided.

"Vacation's over then?" Thea looked at Oliver.

"Vacation's over." Oliver nodded. "Dig, call Roy, Rene, Curtis and Dinah; tell them to get to Gotham ASAP. This is bigger than we had thought."

Sara blinked. "Should I contact Waverider…"

"Not this time." Oliver ordered. "We might need a backup but for now, let's find out how many of them are there. I'll let Bruce know ASAP."

Dick looked at the ambulance as Raya was wearing a blanket, still trembling in shock as he approached her and Helena glowered at the woman, feeling jealous.

Dick approached Raya as the medics were sure she was alright. Raya drank her coffee as she looked at her former lover. "Was it him, Dick?" Dick took a breath. "Tell me, was it really Raymond?" Dick couldn't speak up but nodded numbly as the tears were forming in her eyes as she looked down, shaking her head in disbelief. "Jesus Christ… ten years… first your parents and now this… What the hell is going on?" She was breathing out frantically.

"Raya, I… I honestly don't know." Dick admitted. "But I'm gonna find out." He wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his shoulder. After a few long minutes, she finally got a hold of herself as she wiped her wet cheeks. "Look, I think you need to leave town for a few weeks. Just for your own safety, OK?"

Raya nodded in understanding. "Promise me that you're gonna get to the bottom of this, OK?"

"I will." Dick promised as they kissed each other.

* * *

_**Later, Wayne Manor** _

The doorbell rang as Alfred opened and smiled. "Miss Lance, I wasn't expecting you. Do you need something from…" He stopped as he saw who was accompanying her.

"It's urgent, Alfie. We need to talk." Jason said from behind Laurel and Alfred widened his eyes in disbelief.

" _Master Todd_?"

* * *

_**Elsewhere in Gotham City** _

Raya was entering the taxi as she put her briefcase into the trunk. As she was on the highway, she scowled. "Excuse me, the train station is that way." The driver did not answer. "Sir?" She could swear the man was starting to cackle louder and louder and suddenly, the passenger cabin was filling with some green gas as she coughed out and as she noticed the bleached skin of the driver, she started to panic frantically before she passed out. "No!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	13. Court of Owls - Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bat-Family, Team Arrow and the Birds of Prey find out, who are they facing as they prepare for the battle with their new enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises

 

 

 

 

"Alright, start from the beginning, Jason." Bruce said as he was drinking a cup of tea, while Jason was in the living room with Oliver, Diggle, Laurel, Tatsu, Rene, Roy, Sara, Barbara, Helena, Thea, Henry and Dick.

"I've been trying to move on and leave this behind." Jason admitted. "Until last month in Brazil, I encountered some ninjas in black mask and strange goggles, similar to the one in the circus. Like Saiko was." Dick tensed, still shaken up from the return and death of his childhood friend. "They've had in pocket a local warlord and some smugglers, trying to get some weapons into Gotham. AK-47s, Katyushas, katanas, ancient weaponry, you name it; sort of a hybrid of H.I.V.E. and the League of Assassins. I've been trying to shut them down until one of those creeps like Saiko attacked me, nearly nabbed me and killed me. Called himself ' _Ikari_ '. In Japanese it means…"

" _Fury._ " Tatsu translated. "And  _Saiko_  means ' _the best_ '."

Jason nodded. "Anyway, he was good and his weapons were not normal; I mean his sword was able to crack my helmet, which I made from special compound that should withstand even a shrapnel grenade. I tried to kill that freak but it was like he wasn't even human, I shot him through the heart and it did nothing. In the end, I cut his head off. Anyway, on his body, I found this." He pulled out a coin on which was a symbol of a bird. An owl.

Bruce examined the coin closely before whispering. " _The Court of Owls…_ "

"What?" Henry gasped. "The Court of Owls? I thought they were just a ghost story."

"What is the Court of Owls?" Oliver asked.

Henry cleared his throat.

" _Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,_

_Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime._

_They watch at your hearth, they watch in your bed._

_Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head._ "

"Creepy." Rene muttered. "Some kind of Gotham bogeymen?"

"They say that they're the ones who actually built and rule Gotham from the shadows." Barbara explained. "They have been here for two hundred years, watching us from afar, and that Wayne family are only puppets. No one reasonable does believe it of course, but they say that they rule this city through money, and even by intimidation and fear and if necessary, murder, to gain political power and influence, hiding in the oldest foundation of the city. Who they deem unworthy to live, or if someone stands in their pursuit of power, their Talons will take you."

"Our parents used to scare me and Nicky with that story." Henry explained. "And my nephew and daughter used to have nightmares about it."

"Wait, so you're saying that these guys are basically League of Assassins focused on Gotham?" Thea asked, disbelieved.

"In some occasions, when someone died under mysterious and unexplainable circumstances, there was an owl marked on the wall or on the floor, where that person died, presumably to establish that that person had been sentenced to the death by the Court of Owls." Bruce explained.

"Oh, my God…" Diggle shook his head, trying not to believe the news.

"Why did they want me dead?" Dick asked, confused. "And what have they done to Raymond? They turned him into a Talon? Why?"

"I don't know." Bruce admitted. "I honestly am not entirely sure if the Court of Owls is real. After my parents died and I honed my skills as a detective, I had been searching for signs of the Court for years but I found nothing. Never a lead, so... I let go… I wanted to believe that there was a greater evil behind the death of my parents but… there was nothing. Until recently, a mysterious assassin killed a councilman Wirth and I was tracking him to the underground, where I ended up in a labyrinth, where in its center was a giant owl statue on a fountain... and there was a book, with a list of names of founding fathers of Gotham City, and the crossed off died under mysterious circumstances. And there, I found coffins… dozens of them. Never had time to look into it because some assassin, similar to the one who was at the circus, tried to kill me… and he almost did." Bruce undid his shirt and revealed a fresh long scar along his chest as Laurel, Curtis, Dinah and Thea gasped, while the rest just hissed at the sight of Bruce's scars. "I barely escaped through the caverns. Before I got away, the assassin said that the bill has come due and that it was time for them to carry their sentence across the city."

"So, that means that they're targeting some people here." Oliver deduced.

"I analyzed the DNA of the man who tried to kill me, I got his tissue sample from my batarangs." Bruce explained. "His name was William Cobb…" Then he turned to Dick. "And he was your great-grandfather, Dick."

"What?!" Dick gasped as everyone stared at him in disbelief. "He…"

"The tissue degeneration suggested that he was frozen for decades, Dick." Bruce explained. "And just so you know, he was stronger and faster than an ordinary human."

"Just like Raymond…" Dick whispered. "What the hell…"

"Apparently, the Court of Owls has some kind of special mummification progress. Then, when the time came, they revived him and…"

"Sent him on a frenzy." Jason realized. "Those guys left a mess in Brazil. I barely got out alive."

"How?" Diggle asked.

"Nitrogen. A lot of it." Jason explained. "Apparently, cold slows them down."

"I found this in Mr. Haly's office." Bruce said as he pointed at a book. "When I heard the news about the incident in the circus, I went there to take a look."

Dick took a look at the book. "List of names… I remember some of them… they are all dead…" Most of the names were crossed off, except for. "I was here too. I was supposed to be next but…"

"Your parents were killed and then I took you in." Bruce pointed out. "In pre-modern times, potential gladiators were sometimes escorted to the coliseums by parades of performers, jesters and acrobats; an ancient version of the circus…"

Then it hit Dick. "Every few years, the Court would seek out new recruits; new Talons. The athletes… of course, now it makes sense, I was supposed to be next but after my parents died, the Court took Raymond instead." Dick realized. "They turned him into an assassin and faked his death."

"If they were able to infiltrate Haly's Circus, it means that this is serious." Selina said. "You can't fight this on your own, Bruce. You need our help."

Bruce sighed. "Some nights, I've felt like the city was looking at me. I always thought it was watching  _over_  me, though, like a partner, or even a  _family_  but now I realize that the Gotham City I thought I knew… the city I vowed to protect… is not real. It's a city full of enemies… always has been."

"I don't believe it." Laurel retorted. "You might be seeing sides already, Bruce but it doesn't matter. The Court of Owls is just another corrupt group of ruthless killers that need to be shown that we will not submit so easily. And we're not gonna let them take your city, not if we can help it."

"Agreed." Thea nodded.

"I'm in." Roy said.

"No way we're letting you in this alone, Bruce." Tatsu agreed. "You're our friend."

"This Court of Owls is just another bad guy, a little greyer around their faces but still, all they need is a good old ass-kicking to send them back to the hellhole they crawled out of." Rene quipped.

"Lot of people have been dying lately in here under mysterious circumstances." Barbara said. "Looks like the Court is trying to take over this city."

"Well, guess what… they better prepare for war." Jason got up from his chair.

"Because we're gonna fight until our last breath to defend this city. You helped me once upon a time to save my city." Oliver said. "Now it's my turn to return the favor."

"You don't have to do this alone, Bruce…" Selina said as she grabbed Bruce's hand and he looked at her in consideration.

"Alfred, show our guests their rooms."

* * *

Henry and Sara were on the bed as they were stripping each other of their clothes, giving into each other as a few minutes later, both of them laid down, panting out in exhaustion.

"Wow… I guess the League isn't good only at killing people."

Sara laughed. "Yeah… I missed this."

"You seriously haven't seen ' _The Godfather_ '?" Henry asked as he looked at Sara, holding the blanket to cover their naked bodies. "It's classic." Sara shook her head. "Well, this is unacceptable, tell you what… why don't we find the time and go out for a movie. This can be our regular…"

Sara groaned as she buried her head into the pillow. "Come on, don't do that, Henry."

"What?" Henry scowled.

"I thought we've established our limits. Once we sort out this mess with the Court of Owls, Ollie and I will get back to the Waverider and you and I will go our separate ways again. So, why are you pretending that this is something more?"

"Look, I thought you said you wanted to find out where we could go." Henry argued. "Are you that much afraid to commit? I mean, Ollie and Laurel are working it out. I get that if you don't feel like this could work out but that doesn't mean that we can't at least give it a shot, does it?"

Sara stared at him in consideration. "I guess you've got a point. But I just think you're rushing it a bit."

Henry nodded in understanding. "I get that if you're not ready to want more, Sara but… can't we please at least pretend that this is going somewhere? It might become real in time, you know?" He shrugged.

Sara replied with a smirk on her face as she suddenly lunged at him and they fell over the bed as Sara giggled. "Maybe one day we'll find out but for now, let's just have some fun."

"Oh, you're so evil…"

* * *

"I can't believe it's happening again." Laurel said as Oliver held her pregnant stomach from behind. "I… I don't know if I can do this anymore, Ollie."

"What?" Oliver asked.

"I… I missed being the Black Canary and when I met Henry and Barbara few months back, I felt alive again." Laurel admitted. "But… my baby… I can't raise our baby in this life. We need something normal; no more guns, no more crazy assassins and no more megalomaniacs with magical powers."

"You may not have to." Oliver suggested. "You can ask Dinah to become the next Black Canary."

Laurel sighed. "You think she's ready?"

"Dig says she's very good. She took on Sara's name as ' _The Canary_ '." Oliver assured her. "We can finally have a normal life if you want."

"Maybe… once this is over." Laurel assured Oliver.

* * *

"Sorry I put the trouble on your doorstep, Babs." Jason said remorsefully as Barbara looked at him.

"Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad you're back. You're our brother, Jason." Barbara smiled at him, assuring him as he smiled back, missing her kindness as he hugged his surrogate sister.

* * *

"Are you OK, Dick?" Helena asked as she was in the shower with Dick, who suddenly stopped kissing her.

"I'm just worried about Raya, you know? She hasn't been answering my calls."

"She needs time." Helena reasoned. "She's just been through a trauma."

"I guess you're right."

* * *

**_Elsewhere_ **

Three men in white, simple bird masks were in the office talking to a group of ninjas, dressed up in a similar outfit as Saiko was.

"For tonight, we will not only kill  _our enemy_  but we will  _take back our city_!  _We will take back our kingdom_! Now go! Go and take back Gotham from the corrupt!  _From the unworthy_!"

The ninjas jumped out from the office of the balcony, unsheathing their weapons, about to go on hunt.

* * *

Raya woke up, realizing she was stripped of her clothes as she felt cold metal on her bare skin, strapped to a chair as she vainly tried to get out from the restraints. "Where… where am I?" The fear quickly took her over. She looked around but all she could see was darkness as a faint light was shining on her. "Hello? Is someone out there?"

"Raya Vestri… would you like to hear a joke?" A cracking voice said as Raya paled, instantly recognizing it. She could feel every cell on her skin tense from the freeze as the sweat was streaming down her naked body as the inhuman cackle echoed in the room. " _Hahahaha…_ "

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for making this short but this is sort of prelude to what happens next
> 
> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	14. Court of Owls - Night of the Owls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Court of Owls begin their attack as everyone is trying to stop them from killing their targets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises

 

 

 

 

A bang on the door woke both of them up as Henry and Sara groaned in bed. "So much for a peaceful night." Henry drawled as he put on his pants and Sara was looking for her shirt. Henry opened the door as Alfred looked horrified.

"Master Fyff, Miss Lance, there's an emergency!"

"What's going on, Alfred?" Sara asked.

"The Court, they're targeting various people in the city but it's not all, they're trying to get in the Manor as we speak! Master Queen and everyone else is out there, trying to stop as many of the Talons as they can! Your sister is with Master Wayne in the cave, Miss Lance!"

"Damn it." Henry hissed. "Sara, try to protect Alfred, I'll get to the Batcave and look after Laurel!"

* * *

Henry grabbed his gun and waited as the security measures outside the manor were holding as many of the ninjas as possible until they found the power line and disabled them and they burst into the manor, while Sara picked her batons, while two of the Talons were able to get in through the window.

"You're protector of Bruce Wayne?" One of the ninjas asked.

"Bruce Wayne has been sentenced to the death by the Court of Owls. Anyone, who tries to defy us, will share his fate."

"Come get me." Sara taunted as she connected her batons to a staff weapon.

* * *

"Bruce, they're getting in!" Henry yelled as he rushed down to the Batcave.

"Where's Sara?" Laurel demanded before Bruce turned on video feed as she was trying to fend off the Talons. "No, there's too many of them, she can't stop them alone."

"She won't have to." Bruce assured her. "Henry, take over the controls!"

"What? Why?" Henry asked. "I thought…"

"Just do it! The place has backup power generator, try to help Sara." Bruce ordered as he was going into a large robotic Batsuit inside the armory.

* * *

Sara was blocking and dodging the attacks of the Talons before turrets showed up from the walls, shooting the assassins down as Sara stared. "Wait, I thought you were against kill…"

" _He's not the one behind the wheel now, honey._ " Henry quipped as Sara chuckled.

"Thanks, sweetheart." She engaged two of the Talons.

* * *

"What is that?" Laurel asked as she looked at the decrypting process on the monitor.

"One of the Talons Master Wayne had encountered had a small memory drive in his possession, we have been trying to decipher it and we now know that it's their list of targets…"

"Oh, my God." Henry whispered as he eyeballed the list of names when the decrypting process was finished. "Almost every public figure in Gotham is on that list… everyone who shapes this city… city controller, deputy sheriff, Barbara's father, leading councilmen… they're gonna kill them all…"

"Bruce can't hope to protect them all!" Laurel exclaimed.

"Not on his own he can't." Henry noted as he kept firing the turrets at the ninjas and providing cover for Sara.

" _Leave some of them to me, please, darling!_ " Sara yelled.

"God help us all, I hope Ollie and everyone else can help as well as they can…" Laurel whispered.

* * *

_**GCPD** _

Batgirl and Speedy were driving on bikes to the precinct as they saw an explosion going off in the building.

"Dad!"

"Oh, my lord…" Speedy whispered before she looked up at the shining owl symbol. "There!"

"They messed up the Bat-signal." Batgirl realized before hearing gunshots on the rooftop and saw her father trying to fend off one of the assassins with his gun but the Talon threw a knife as Commissioner Gordon fell down. Batgirl glared and flied to the rooftop with her grapnel gun, while Speedy fired a grapnel arrow and then fired a flashbang arrow, stunning the assassin.

"Get the hell away from him!" Batgirl yelled. The Talon jumped and kicked Batgirl back, while Speedy attacked with her bow in close combat but the Talon blocked with his claws and scratched the archer in crimson leather in the hip as she hissed. Batgirl helped by throwing a batarang and momentarily distracting the assassin, while Speedy kicked the Talon back but suddenly, a secondary explosion on the rooftop made a piece of the building crumble as the archer fell down. "Speedy!" Batgirl wailed as she pulled out a grapnel gun and caught Speedy as the rope wrapped around her leg as Batgirl pulled her back up on the roof, while the Talon was buried under the rubble. "You OK?"

"Yeah." Speedy gasped. "Thanks." She turned to Commissioner Gordon. "Are you alright, Mr. Gordon?"

"I'll be fine." Gordon nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

**_City Hall_ **

"I'm telling you right now, Mayor Hady, I'll pass the council vote. I mean, it'll take a bit a finesse. Restricting the equivalent of slum land just to prevent Wayne from rebuilding isn't exactly an easy…"

"Thank you, Councilman Davis." Mayor assured him as he looked at the paper. "Though, right now I am more interested in Deputy Mayor Kavanaugh's opinion…" Suddenly, the office turned dark. "What the hell…"

One of the councilmen got up from his chair and went outside. "I'll go talk to the security, I'm sure we have nothing to…" He gasped as he saw the dead guards on puddles of blood. "What in the…"

Suddenly a swish was heard in the air as a Talon cut the councilman's head off before turning to the mayor. "Mayor Sebastian Hady, for your corruption and betrayal of Gotham City, the Court of Owls has hereby sentenced you to…"

Nightwing, Katana, Wild Dog and Dinah, donning the Canary outfit, jumped through the window, kicking the Talon away.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The Talon asked. "The Bat's little birdie and another bird and the mad dog from Star City have come to play?"

"Don't move, Birdman. We like to play it rough." Wild Dog warned.

"I'm sure you do." The Talon threw knives as the Canary used her Canary Cry, sending away the assassin's knives and knocking him down on the ground. "You must do better than that." The Talon said as he got up on his feet. "I play much harder."

"Get out of here! Go!" Nightwing dragged the mayor and his councilmen out of his office.

"What… what is that thing?"

"They call it the Talon; he's an assassin from the Court of Owls, they want to kill you!"

"The Court?! But they're just a fairy tale, they're not…"

"You seriously arguing about that now?!" Nightwing snapped as he pushed them to the door. "Just get out of here!"

Katana unsheathed her sword. "Oh, you want to challenge me to a sword fight?" The Talon goaded. "I've been trained by the best fighters on the planet."

"So have I." Katana sneered as she blocked Talon's attack and crouched, slashing him across the hip as he jumped back and managed to knock Tatsu's mask off with his attack. Wild Dog fired but the Talon dodged with acrobatic grace before jumping on a lantern and landing on Wild Dog, knocking him down on the floor.

"You're good… but not nearly good enough!"

The Canary attacked with her staff as the Talon kept on blocking but then, he slashed the Canary on her knee as she knelt down but Katana kicked the Talon in his leg, causing for him to stumble before she decapitated him as his head rolled down the floor.

"Ugh…" Wild Dog groaned. "Yuck."

* * *

**_Elsewhere in Gotham City_ **

"Why the hell are we protecting that creep?" Arsenal protested as he was on the rooftop with the Red Hood, the Huntress, Spartan and Mr. Terrific.

"Good question." The Red Hood growled.

"Bad guy or not; no one deserves this kind of fate." Spartan reasoned.

"It's the lesser of the two evils." Mr. Terrific pointed out.

"But are we protecting Mr. Freeze from the Court…" Huntress pointed out as she looked at the ice structures around the building. "Or Gotham from the Court  _and_  Mr. Freeze?"

The Red Hood rolled his eyes and jumped down from the rooftop.

"Hey!" Spartan yelled. The Red Hood fired his grapnel gun and swung from an icicle through the window.

"And here I thought that Rene was the impulsive one." Mr. Terrific quipped.

* * *

"How dare you raise your hand on me! I will kill you this affront!" Someone yelled as the Red Hood burst in through the window.

" _It is you, who will die tonight, Mr. Fries!_ " The Talon kicked Mr. Freeze back. " _You've chosen to turn your back on the Court of Owls; such insolence will not go without consequences!_ "

"I serve no one!" Mr. Freeze snarled before they noticed the vigilante. "You?! Why would the Red Hood involve himself in this matter?"

"This ends here and now!" The Red Hood fired at the Talon, who dodged his gunfire.

"He must be an ally of the Batman!" The Talon growled as the Red Hood whacked him in the head with his gun and knocked him out.

"I should blow your head off, just for saying that out loud, Talon." He then aimed the gun at Mr. Freeze. "But to answer your question, Victor, tonight, I'm just a concerned citizen. Now, either you can break this fight up, or I will do it for you." He pointed the gun at Freeze's head.

"My understanding is that the Court has dispatched dozens of Talons to kill as many of Gotham's power brokers as possible. Go rescue one of them; it's not like I'm some defenseless idiot, who needs the protection of  _the Batman_!" Freeze snapped before freezing the Red Hood's hand and his gun. "Let me make my point, so that you will understand!"

"What part of " _I'm here to help_ " was too vague, you moron?!" The Red Hood snapped before he whacked Freeze in the head with his frozen hand. "Don't make the same mistake everyone has made before you, Victor! I'm not one of the good guys!"

"Apparently, otherwise, you wouldn't have let that assassin escape!" Mr. Freeze pointed out as the Red Hood saw the Talon jump out from the window.

"What makes you think I'd let him go?"

* * *

The Talon landed on the rooftop before two T-spheres surrounded him and fired lasers, while the Talon dodged and Arsenal fired, pinning the Talon's leg to the ground and knocked him out and restrained him before firing a grapnel arrow, while Spartan held on to him and Mr. Terrific was keeping watch on the assassin.

* * *

The Red Hood and Mr. Freeze were in a gunfight as Arsenal fired at Mr. Freeze's helmet with an arrow, that had a rubber sticker on its end.

"Please, I've been hit by a speeding Batmobile; what damage do you think an arrow will do?" Mr. Freeze taunted.

"About 1.21 Gigawatts' worth." Arsenal quipped as suddenly a jolt of electricity surged through Freeze's suit, disabling it as he fell down on the floor, incapacitated.

"Nice." Red Hood gave Arsenal a thumbs-up.

* * *

**_Iceberg Lounge_ **

" _Oswald Cobblepot, for your crimes against this city, the Court of Owls has hereby sentenced you to death._ " The Talon said as he pulled out his sword, while the Penguin trembled, hiding behind a table, while he stared at his dead bodyguards.

"What do you… who hired you? Whatever they paid you, I can triple it…"

" _I have need of nothing._ " The Talon pulled out his knives. " _Except your life._ " Then he noticed a dagger in a glass case nearby as he pointed his fingers towards it. " _Why do you have it?_ "

"What?" Penguin gasped. "The dagger? I just collect things. You want it? It's yours. You can have anything in this room…"

" _It is Fate that has brought me here. Brought me back. Delivered this to me._ "

Suddenly, a whip noosed itself around the Talon's neck as Catwoman hung him up but the Talon was unfazed by it as the Green Arrow shot him in the head.

"Holy smokes, you're the Green Arrow." The Penguin gasped. "But Oliver Queen is…"

"No, I'm not Oliver Queen." Green Arrow denied, glad that his real face was concealed by Wells' transmogrification device.

"You only got hit in the head hard, Ozzy." Catwoman quipped before knocking him out. Then she looked at the diamond in the glass case before she noticed Green Arrow's glare. "What? It's not like he's gonna miss it in the jail."

The Green Arrow chuckled and shook his head.

* * *

**_Wayne Manor_ **

As Sara kept on fending off the Talons with Henry's assistance, suddenly the Batman, in a large robotic Batsuit burst out from the bookshelves.

"Get the hell out of my house!" He yelled as from the small long holes in his suit went freezing batarangs, paralyzing some Talons as Sara looked impressed.

For this exception, Bruce was playing rough, this particular Batsuit was built for war, made of special meta-aramid fiber, designed by Wayne Enterprises, even denser than Kevlar, capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, such as burning heat and cold of Arctic winter. With Henry's and Sara's assistance, they were holding their own but still, the Talons would not stop.

"They just keep coming!" Sara yelled. "We can't stop an army, Batman!"

" _She's right, the security system is running out of power and ammo!_ " Henry agreed.

"Just hold on for a few more minutes! I have my own army!"

And as Sara and Batman were trying to hold their own, suddenly, a swarm of bats burst into the manor, ripping the Talons into the shreds, while Sara suddenly felt the cold in the air.

"The cold is slowing them down…" She remembered.

"And it wakes the bats up." Batman pointed out.

" _Bruce._ " Henry called out. " _They did it. Most of the targets are accounted for, except for one. Lincoln March. You used to know him, right?_ "

Bruce paled, worried about his friend.

* * *

_**Lincoln March's office** _

Batman entered Lincoln's office, raising his hands. "I'm here to help, Mr. March." He said as he saw Lincoln pointing his gun at him.

"Bruce…" Lincoln whispered as Batman tensed, hearing his friend saying his name. "Message for Bruce… please…" He collapsed on his chair as Batman held him, applying pressure on his wound.

"Mr. March, don't talk and stay awake. Please. I'll call an ambulance."

"No… please… take this…" Lincoln handed Batman a sheet of paper, his voice a bare whisper. "The donations I gave… I tried to figure out… who… where they… could be all three of them… in the Court… or no one…"

"Please, Mr. March, the more you talk…"

"I'm already dead… but Bruce… you know him… tell him that… this city… it's still worth saving… it can still become a… better place… remind him that he can't give… up… Gotham is more… than… one man's… dream…" He tilted his head as Batman closed Lincoln's eyes and looked down, sad before Henry called.

" _Bruce, I just got a call from everyone, they've contained the Talons as well as they could. They've backed off. Now what?_ "

"I know where they live." Batman said as he looked at the sheet of paper in his hand.

Laurel protested. " _But, Bruce, it's been a long night, we should…_ "

"They came to my house, now we're gonna burn theirs to the ground." Batman glared at the paper, vowing to take the Court of Owls down for good.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.
> 
> Just for clarification - Laurel is the Black Canary, Sara is the White Canary and Dinah Drake is the Canary


	15. Downfall of the Owls and One Last Laugh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the Court of Owls is coming as Joker decides to strike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises

 

 

 

 

A woman, around 40 years old, wearing a furry coat was running to the elevator but as the door closed, the elevator would not go down and suddenly in front of her appeared the Green Arrow and Batman.

"Going somewhere?" Green Arrow asked as the woman gasped.

"You… you can't be in here! I'm calling…"

"Your men are taking a nap right now." Batman said as the woman paled and then he showed an owl mask to her. "I found this in your bedroom, there were two glass cases and one of them is empty."

"Now where's your husband?!" The Green Arrow snarled.

"Gone, out of the country." The woman sneered. "And if you and your friends think that you have the upper hand, you're wrong! You will never win! If I were you, I'd leave Gotham City and never come back!" She mocked as she pressed the button and the elevator went down.

" _Your scare tactic worked, Ollie._ " Henry said over the comms. " _She's calling her husband right now, it's coded though, so I can't exactly eavesdrop on their conversation but it shouldn't take too long to find where the Court is._ "

"And the Talons?" Batman asked.

" _Don't worry, Bruce._ " Laurel assured him. " _They're in cold storage laboratory, they seemed to have retreated in some kind of preservatory stasis, so they won't be a problem for now. Alfred and Sara are keeping an eye on them._ "

" _But there's something strange about the call, though._ " Henry said, confused. " _The phone appears to be located in some kind of a… blackout zone._ "

"A blackout zone?" Green Arrow asked.

" _Some kind of a dead area in southern part of Gotham, radius of quarter mile, somewhere in…_ "

"Irvington." Batman realized.

" _How did you know that?_ " Laurel asked.

"There's a harbor house there, where I was looking for the Court of Owls and barely made it out alive." Batman remembered.

"This time you're not going alone." Green Arrow assured him.

* * *

Green Arrow and Batman entered a ruined house in Irvington as they looked for any clues. "That's the address Lincoln gave you?" Green Arrow asked as Batman nodded.

"And if I remember, the labyrinth was…" He saw the gap in the wall. "Somewhere underneath this place. Keep your eyes open, this won't be easy."

Green Arrow and Batman entered a small corridor that lead downstairs and suddenly, they found themselves in a marble labyrinth, with owl gargoyles perching above. "There are…" Suddenly, both of them had to dodge darts shooting out from the holes in the walls. "Traps… everywhere!"

As they continued deeper into the labyrinth, five Talons suddenly ambushed them as Green Arrow and Batman were fending them off and Green Arrow used explosive arrows to dispose of them, while Batman threw explosive batarangs.

"What happened to ' _no killing_ '?" Green Arrow asked.

"They've been dead for a long time now." Batman said calmly as they kept fending off the Talons. As they continued into the labyrinth, they found dozens of empty coffins in a round room, with a giant statue of an owl watching over them.

"Guess we know where the Talons came from." Green Arrow deduced before he was ensnared in a net and trapped as a bunch of people wearing owl masks were watching the vigilantes from above the balcony.

"Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne." One of the men in owl masks said. "Don't be so surprised, this is our city and there is no secret that cannot reach our ears. You have dared to defy the Court and for that, you shall perish."

A Talon then jumped down from above but he seemed taller and more muscular, with a metal armor as he pulled out his claws and engaged Batman, who dodged and attacked, while the Green Arrow cut his way out from a net with his arrow.

The archer and Batman were fighting the Talon but he blocked the arrows with his sword, while Batman tried to attack but he seemed faster and stronger than it seemed. In the end, Green Arrow fired an explosive arrow on the floor, knocking the Talon on the ground before shooting an arrow through his head. "He's been dead for a long time now."

"Impressive." The court members clapped their hands. "You are even more skillful than we have given you credit for, Mr. Wayne. Mr. Queen." Green Arrow seemed shocked. "Don't be so surprised, we have eyes and ears everywhere. We know that you had faked your death and been trying to conceal your identity but you cannot fool us."

"We would like you to join us."

"Never." Batman snapped.

"You think I'd join a group of psychopaths, using a legion of assassins at their disposal, just so that they can take control over the people?" Green Arrow snarled, remembering the League of Assassins as he fired an explosive arrow, causing for the court members to scatter. "This place needs to go down to the ground, or they'll never stop."

"Agreed." Batman said.

* * *

Later, A.R.G.U.S. received word of the presence of the Court of Owls in Gotham as Batman found a ledger of members of the courts, causing for everyone in city's administrative to be under investigation and the FBI and A.R.G.U.S. began a massive inquiry of every public person in Gotham City, due to being suspected of being a member of the Court of Owls and found a cold storage room of an army of Talons that the Court had in cryosleep, putting all of it under investigation and the Talons in cryosleep were being researched by scientists in A.R.G.U.S. to figure out their regenerative powers and reverse what had been done to them.

* * *

Jason entered his apartment, where his roommate/girlfriend Isabel was waiting for him. "Next time, when your job calls, ditch your phone."

"You know, in my line of work, it may not be that simple." Jason mused as he kissed her.

* * *

As Jason went out from the shower, putting on clean clothes and going out from the bathroom, he looked around. "Isabel? Are you here? Izzy?" Suddenly, he saw Isabel lying on the floor, with a syringe sticking out from her arm and vomit near her mouth as her eyes looked up and Jason tensed, realizing that someone overdosed her when he was in the shower. Then a phone rang as his blood ran cold and instincts turned on.  _Something was going on…_  He grabbed the phone as there was a private number calling and answered. "Hello?"

" _Relax, kiddo, your lady friend is fine. I already called the EMTs. And Gotham's finest…_ "

Jason's blood boiled. " _You_? You did this to her?  _Why_?"

" _Why ask "Why", birdie boy? Why not ask "Why not"?_ " The question followed by a cackle as Jason realized, who was messing with him.

" _Joker_!" He snarled ferociously. "If she dies, I swear to on what's left of your pasty white face, I'm gonna kill you!"

" _Good luck… hahahaha…_ "

Suddenly, Jason heard knock on the door. "This is the police! Open the door, now!"

"Damn it!" Jason swore, grabbing his jacket and running out from the apartment through a window.

* * *

Dick was watching TV with Helena in his apartment as she looked at him. "You OK, Dick?"

"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I was supposed to be one of them." Dick said before turning to her and the tense atmosphere made both of them near each other and they were about to kiss before Dick got a phone call and rolled his eyes.

"Damn it." He answered the call.

" _Dick, it's Henry. I hope you're not too busy._ "

"Your timing sort of sucks right now, Hank." Dick said, annoyed.

" _Well, sorry but you're the nearest one to the location. Barbara and I made an analysis on the compound that the Court uses to put their Talons into stasis. They had a help. The chemicals were originally from Kline Industries. Aerospace company, accused of corporate espionage, their fuel formula was a knockoff of Wayne Enterprises formula. Someone was helping them manufacture that gunk. I wanted to reach out to you first. I'll send backup ASAP._ "

"It's OK, Helena and I got this."

"I'm gonna kill that tech dimwit." Helena growled, annoyed by the interruption.

"Barbara's gonna kill you if you hurt him." Dick warned.

* * *

**_Later, Kline Industries_ **

Nightwing and Huntress jumped into the warehouse through the window as they looked around. As they searched inside the crates, suddenly they heard a cackle from behind and dodged as a sword swished into the air and Nightwing and Huntress widened their eyes in disbelief.

It was Raya, in a knockoff of Nightwing's outfit, with bleached face and swords in her hands, cloth wrapped around them before they heard Joker on speaker.

" _It's a nice touch, right? Bat-lite's own little knock-off! Have fun, birdies! Hahaha!_ "

Raya was cackling mercilessly as she attacked, while Huntress dodged and Nightwing blocked with his baton. "Raya, listen to me, this isn't you! You need to fight this!" He jumped back as Raya scratched the chestplate of his armor. "It's me! You know me!" Huntress fired from her crossbow but Raya jumped back with acrobatic grace before attacking her but Huntress blocked with her crossbow and rolled her over her back but Raya kicked her in the back as the Huntress stumbled and as Nightwing jumped at her, Raya did a salto to evade.

"Don't make me hurt you!" Huntress warned as Raya was suddenly trembling as she collapsed on the floor, making both vigilantes realize that she wasn't laughing but screaming in pain and dying, her body rejecting Joker's toxin.

Huntress quickly discarded the weapons off Raya's hands as Nightwing pulled a syringe from his belt, injecting an antidote into Raya, who stopped laughing slowly and her skin was regaining color.

"Stay with us, Raya, come on, stay with us…"

" _Dick…_ "

"Raya…" Dick removed his mask from his eyes as he looked at her.

" _I'm…_ " She caressed his cheek as the tears rolled down her eyes. " _I'm so… I'm sorry… for… for everything…_ "

"It's OK." Dick assured her.

" _I… I knew it… it… was Raymond…_ " She whispered as Dick tensed. " _That night… when Mr. Haly and… that man… I saw him but… I didn't want to believe it… I should have told… should have told you… but I was too… too afraid…_ "

"It's OK, none of this is your fault. Just hold on, I'll get some help…"

" _I… wanted to tell you… that I… I always… loved…_ " Her hand fell off his face as she collapsed and tilted her head.

"No, stay awake, Raya, come on! Raya!" Dick stated pressing on her chest and breathing into her mouth, for minutes trying to revive her desperately. "Wake up, Raya, damn it!"

"Dick…" Helena held his shoulder. "She's gone. I'm sorry…"

"No!" Dick snapped, banging her chest frantically. "Open your eyes, Raya, come on! I'm not losing anyone else again!" After a few moments, Raya regained breath but it was labored as Nightwing sighed in relief and Huntress measured her breathing.

"She needs to get to the hospital quickly." Then she noticed something painted on the wall with blood as she paled. "Dick…"

Dick noticed the writing on the wall with blood as he rushed out. "No! No!"

Helena quickly rushed out with Raya in her arms, on her way to the hospital as she took one last look at the writing.

" _A SURPRISE PARTY AT AMUSEMENT MILE HOSTED BY HALY'S CIRCUS! IT'S GOING TO BE HILARIOUS!_ "

* * *

_**Batcave, Wayne Manor** _

"Say that again." Laurel said.

" _Joker got Raya and poisoned her, she's in critical condition but they're trying their best. Joker set something up in the circus._ " Helena explained over the comms.

"It's a trap." Henry realized.

" _When I get my hands on that pasty-faced son of a bitch, I'm gonna kill him!_ " Jason snarled.

"It's a trap, Jason, we need a plan!" Henry protested.

" _To hell with a plan! I'm gonna end him, once and for all!_ " Jason hung up as Henry banged the table.

"I hate that guy." He growled.

"Can't say I blame you." Laurel agreed. "We gotta call Ollie and everyone else, if it's the Joker behind this, it's all hands on deck."

* * *

**_Haly's Circus, Amusement Mile_ **

"Dick, you know this is a trap." Green Arrow warned as he stopped Nightwing on the rooftop near the circus.

"I'm not gonna let that bastard destroy my family again." Nightwing growled before they saw the Red Hood fly into the amusement park with his grapnel gun.

"Get rebreathers on, if Joker is behind this, he'll have used his Joker gas." Batman suggested.

* * *

" _I absolutely love what's been done with the place!_ " Joker taunted through a P.A. system as the vigilantes were scouring the circus.

"Whatever it is you want, Joker, it's between you and us!" Batman yelled. "Let the circus go!"

" _Hahahaha, don't worry, it's not them I want… this way, birdies! I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that Nightwing showed up almost everywhere the circus was in the past few years… they must have grown to your heart, have they? I guess you and Haly's make perfect sense… everything you gave to the boy, Bats… only for him to abandon it… almost so cute…_ "

"Don't let him get into your head." Green Arrow said as he, together with the Canary, Spartan and Batman entered a tent, where Nightwing stared at the corpses on the stage.

"OK, OK, I know…" Joker goaded as he showed up. "Digging up the bodies of former Haly's Circus members is a bit theatrical… even for me. But it's not like I hung bones from a trapeze, that would be crazy, hahaha…"

Nightwing's blood boiled as he threw knives at the Joker. "This ends now!"

Joker took cover behind a skeleton and rushed away as suddenly, the tent was filling itself with green gas but luckily, the rebreathers everyone was wearing was blocking it, until the members of the circus showed up, cackling mercilessly with bleached skin, attacking the vigilantes as they all tried to fend them off.

"A little help!" Red Hood yelled as he was fending off the circus members under the influence of Joker toxin.

"Don't kill them!" Sara yelled.

"I know!" Red Hood agreed as he and the Team Arrow with Bat-Family and Birds of Prey were trying to non-lethally subdue the people.

* * *

Batman and Green Arrow followed the Joker to the tower as they were on the top, suddenly surrounded by Joker's thugs.

" _Welcome one and all to Joker's main event! Tonight's special act… the Magnificent Deaths of the Caped Do-Gooders! Come in. Take a load off. Enjoy!_ "

"Let's dance, bozos." Green Arrow taunted as he and Batman engaged the thugs, their superior close combat skills outmatching the numbers, in which the henchmen were attacking them and the Joker was laughing mercilessly as he saw how the vigilantes were trying to fight their way through them.

* * *

**_Nicole Fyff's House_ **

"God damn it, Bruce…" Nicole whispered as Mia peeked from her room, watching the news report of Haly's Circus under chemical attack. Making a decision, she grabbed a red hoodie and a bow and a quiver from her closet and went out from the window.

"I lost one family, I'm not losing another."

* * *

**_Haly's Circus_ **

"It's too many of them!" Arsenal yelled as he and Speedy were running out of arrows and Spartan was running out of tranq darts in his gun.

"My T-Spheres can't subdue them all!" Mr. Terrific yelled as the Canary was panting out in exhaustion before from above suddenly flied more arrows, taking the circus members down.

"Need a hand?" Mia in red hoodie, with a bow and quiver smirked.

* * *

Joker pulled out his gun but Green Arrow fired and disarmed him. "You're done, Joker!"

"The police has the circus surrounded. You've lost." Batman sneered.

"Oh, but the game hasn't even begun…" Joker reached out for his pocket but Green Arrow quickly reacted and fired a tranq arrow, knocking him out.

"He gets out. He always will." Green Arrow said. "But maybe there's a place that can hold him."

* * *

**_A.R.G.U.S. prison, Lian Yu_ **

"Digger Harkness, your new cellmate." A guard said as the door opened.

"Well, I didn't expect this." Harkness smirked as he saw Joker with a muzzle in his opposite cell.

* * *

**_Later, Gotham General_ **

"Raya, are you OK?" Dick asked as Raya was laying on the bed.

"Feel like I got all my insides ripped out and put back in wrong places." She joked weakly as Dick chuckled. "Thank you. You saved me."

Dick smiled. "How did you know…"

"I've always known." Raya said. "Ever since we were kids, I watched you fly… Robin, Nightwing… anyone, who knew you would have put it together. I think your parents would have been proud of you."

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this." Dick said, sorry. "You should never have gotten involved."

"It's not your fault, Richard." Raya held his hand. "Look but… honestly, where does that leave us?"

"What do you mean?" Dick scowled.

"I… I… I wanted to tell you that… ever since we were kids… I've had feelings for you but then I saw how you and Helena were looking at each other…"

"I know." Dick nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry but… this wouldn't have worked out anyway. I mean, I'd only put you in danger."

"It's OK." Raya assured him as they kissed fiercely. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

* * *

_**Nicole Fyff's House** _

"Mia, what the hell were you thinking?" Nicole protested.

"I had to do something!" Mia snapped. "I wasn't gonna sit on my ass and do nothing…"

"You're fifteen! You're still a kid! This is not a game, you could have gotten yourself…"

" _Killed_?" Mia snapped. "For ten years, I've been terrorized by a psychotic speedster and his army of metas, then my psychotic Dad and his cronies and I've had to learn how to defend myself, I'm not some defenseless little girl anymore!"

"But you're not a vigilante, don't you see how risky it was?" Henry protested. "Laurel wanted us to look after you and we're trying but you're not making it any easy for us."

"You were good but you need training." Oliver pointed out.

"What?" Nicole and Henry gasped, looking at him.

"I think you have potential, Mia." Oliver said. "But we need to unlock it and make sure you won't be so reckless next time."

"Maybe she can be a good asset to our team." Laurel suggested. "Under one condition, you're going to train under Barbara's and Ollie's tutelage and until both of them decide that you're ready to join the Birds of Prey, you will listen to us. Deal?"

"Deal." Mia nodded as Henry and Nicole gave Oliver and Laurel death glares.

"It's not like you can stop her, she's a lot like Thea and Roy." Oliver shrugged as both Fyffs rolled their eyes.

"What should be my codename?" Mia asked.

"How about ' _Red Arrow_ '?" Oliver proposed.

"Hey!" Thea exclaimed.

"' _Speedy_ ' is already taken." Laurel quipped as Roy and Oliver snickered, while Thea glared at everyone.

* * *

**_A few months later_ **

"The baby shower was fun." Laurel smiled as she sat down, looking at the crib as Henry smiled at her, while she held onto her already growing stomach. "I think you'll be a good godfather."

"Why me? Why not Dig?" Henry asked.

"Honestly, Dig might be too busy guarding Star City to be there for my baby and besides, you have more experience with being a parent than he has, I mean, he's been in it for two years and you for four…"

"Good point." Henry chuckled.

* * *

Sara and Nicole were washing the dishes as Nicole looked at Sara. "So, about you and my brother…"

"What?"

"Do you love him?" Nicole asked. "I've seen how you two have been smiling at each other and Hank wasn't that much happy since Mary had died from cancer. I mean, how long are you two together? If I count  _before_  Ollie left with you and the Legends? Seven months?" Sara blushed, feeling uncomfortable. "Look, I'm just worried about him, you know? He's my little brother and it's my duty to be worried about him."

"I… I care about him. I really do." Sara admitted. "But… I just don't want to hurt him because of…"

"You being a former assassin?" Nicole reasoned. "It's not like he's afraid of the darkness; he's had his share of it. If he makes you happy, tell him."

"I will."

"Here, Mom." Riley put more dirty dishes on the table.

"Thanks, honey." Nicole smiled before she suddenly started to cough out and collapse on the floor.

"Mom?"

"Nicole? Are you OK?"

Suddenly, Nicole spat out a spatter of blood on the floor before she passed out.

"Mom?"

"Nicole?" Sara asked, worried as she slapped Nicole on her face gently. "Nicky?"

"What's going on?" Henry rushed into the kitchen. "Nicky?" He ran to his sister and started to shake her.

"Mom? Uncle Hank, do something!" Riley wailed as Henry checked Nicole's pulse and Sara opened her eyes.

"Damn it."

"What's going on?" Barbara asked as she and Laurel entered.

"Barbara, call an ambulance, now!" Henry yelled.

* * *

**_Elsewhere_ **

"Today, we welcome a new member to our fold." A man in suit said as everyone sat in a round table as a bearded man wearing a suit entered. "Welcome among us our new brother."

"We welcome you into the Ninth Circle… brother Anatoly."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	16. Poisonous Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old enemy returns as the Birds of Prey try to finish the Ninth Circle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises

 

 

 

 

**_Gotham General_ **

"Is Mom gonna die, Uncle Hank?" Riley asked as he was sitting on a chair with Henry and Sara.

"Riley… I… I don't know." Henry took a breath, trying to shake off the uncomfortable pressure on his chest as he fondled his nephew's back before turning to Barbara. "You don't think…"

"God, I hope not." Barbara shook her head.

" _What_?" Laurel asked, confused.

Henry took a breath. "Our Mom died when I was ten. She had Osler-Weber-Rendu disease."

" _Disorder of blood vessels_." Sara noted. "It is genetic, Nicky must have gotten it too."

"Jesus, not again…" Henry buried his face in his hands.

"Please, tell me that my Mom's gonna be OK." Riley begged, trying to stay hopeful.

Sara knelt down and held his shoulders. "It can be treated and they'll do their best, I can promise you that much, Riley."

"I'll call Bruce, he might be able to help." Barbara offered and Henry nodded gratefully.

" _Henry_?" Dr. Leslie Thompkins went out from the exam room and looked at him. "May I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Henry followed her into the exam room as she closed the doors, while no one could hear what were Leslie and Henry talking about, a few moments later Henry pinned his back to the wall and sat down, burying his face into his hands, defeated.

"God, no… not again…" Barbara whispered.

* * *

"I can bring Nicky on Waverider, Gideon might help treat…"

"I can't ask you to do that, Sara." Henry shook his head.

"You're not asking me, I'm offering it as your girlfriend; Nicky's to me like my sister too, OK?" Sara offered.

"I appreciate it." Henry nodded before Sara tapped her ear.

"Yeah? Uh-huh. Damn it." She swore as she hung up.

"What?" Henry asked.

"Seems like Al Capone is now a mayor of Chicago." She hissed. "Sorry, Ollie and I have to go."

"OK, see you." Henry kissed her on her cheek as she returned the gesture.

* * *

**_Rome, Italy_ **

An American in his 30s in a suit entered an empty small church as a priest approached the man. "May I help you, my son?"

"You know why I'm here." The bald man said. "Where is he?" The priest nodded and pulled the cross with Jesus on the wall, revealing a hidden office, where a bearded elderly man smoking a cigar was sitting at his desk.

"You have my attention, big man." The bearded man with a strong Italian accent said. "What do you want?"

"Not money or trouble. All I want is  _answers_."

"Americans, of course." The bearded man smirked. "Always so rude. Why won't you introduce…"

"The name is Ian Marks, if you need to know. And I am from CIA." Ian said as he pulled out a small badge, on which were nine circles, each of them within another.

" _The Ninth Circle._ " The bearded man hissed. "They did this to me." He revealed his face, uncovering the veil of shadow to see burned half of his face. "And that was their idea of mercy. What will they do to  _you_ , I wonder?"

"A few weeks ago, my men were transporting a client named Arnab Kanoot out of war zone, when…"

" _All hell broke loose_?" The bearded man guessed.

"No matter how hard we tried, in the end, Kanoot was dead with two coins laid over his eyes." Ian said.

" _The Burned_." The bearded man nodded. "I hope you don't feel too badly, Kanoot deserved the grave. I hope this is not some sort of personal vendetta, Mr. Marks, Kanoot was not worth dying for, considering that he owed more than a pound of flesh…"

"I thought this would end, when we had apprehended John King, or you might know him by another name…  _Malcolm Merlyn_. From a parallel universe. But still, they still have more than enough to fund their operations…"

"If someone robs a casino, if someone hacks into a bank and empties its account, where do you think these people stash their money?" The bearded man taunted. "Under the mattress? If a criminal organization wants to build an arsenal, experiment with bio-warfare, take control of a city, where do you think they seek their loans? Evil is expensive, Mr. Marks. To put it as simply and crassly as possible: The bad guys make trouble but the  _really bad_  guys make trouble possible. Probably this comes as no surprise but the real bad guys? They're  _bankers_. And the Ninth Circle is  _a bank_."

"I already knew that." Ian sneered. "But where do I find them?"

"You don't need to; they already see you." The bearded man chuckled as a few moments later, mercenaries burst in and Ian took cover, shooting at them as the bearded man ran away. Ian pulled out a flashbang grenade, blinding the mercenaries and ran to his car, driving away as quickly as possible.

* * *

_**A.R.G.U.S.** _

"This goes deep, Lyla." Naomi said as she looked at the computer. "The Ninth Circle isn't exactly F.D.I.C.-approved but they've got accounts with everyone, from terrorist groups to presidential campaigns, the Falcones, Yakuza, Bratva, the Skeleton Cartel, I could go on and on…"

"Say what you want about Felicity but she did a good job about screwing King over." Lyla quipped.

"And we also know where's their base of operations." Naomi smiled.

* * *

Special elite team of A.R.G.U.S. operatives launched an assault on a base in Pacific Ocean as they quietly took out the guards and snuck in as a few moments later, they were able to take over the control of the base of the Ninth Circle and apprehend most of the leaders. As they went out, suddenly they were ambushed by a rain of arrows, killing two of the men but most of them were protected by their body armor.

A woman, with a dragon tattoo on her arm lowered her bow and narrowed her eyes as the agents got into a chopper and escaped.

"It's time to cut some loose ends, Anatoly." The woman called over her comms.

" _Already happened. My new brothers will not be pleased to taste the poison in their drink._ "

* * *

**_Later, Tokyo_ **

The woman with a dragon tattoo, nearly went out from the chopper with a younger Asian girl, around sixteen years old as both of them talked in Chinese.

" _Why are we here, mother?_ "

" _We will report to Yakuza, my dear._ "

" _I hope that by 'Yakuza' you mean a new yogurt franchise._ "

" _Do not_ _ **joke**_." The mother said harshly. " _When the Inferno was taken over, they have lost a massive investment… in me and in future earnings. Malcolm was foolish and naïve to trust that blonde with glasses. We've already lost your father to that demonic speedster and Mia turned her back on us. Our ranks are getting thinner every day._ "

" _I never asked for this life, mother._ " The girl sneered.

" _Neither did I but our lives belong to them. We owe Malcolm Merlyn our lives._ " The woman assured her daughter.

" _He's in jail, so we do not owe him anything._ " The girl glowered.

" _We turn our backs on them, they'll kill us. They have a new brother among them. He's dangerous. His name is Anatoly Knyazev._ " The woman explained as the girl paled.

* * *

**_Gotham_ **

"I promise you, I will do my best to help your sister." Bruce assured Henry, who glanced towards Riley, who was inside the room with Henry's sister, sleeping on bed. "She's still in early stages, so she might be lucky."

"Thank you, Bruce." Henry shook his hand with him. "You've been very kind to me." Then, Henry's phone buzzed as he answered the call.

" _Fyff, are you busy?_ " Lyla asked.

"Look… now's really not a good time, Lyla." Henry sighed.

" _I know._ " Lyla sighed. " _Barbara told me about your sister. But there's another problem. The Ninth Circle has a new leader._ " She sent a photo on Henry's phone as he paled.

"Oh, crap."

" _Looks like Anatoly is in bed with wrong people. Could you tell Oliver…_ "

"You just missed him. He just left with Sara on another mission with the Legends."

" _Damn it._ " Lyla groaned. " _Laurel's on maternal, so she's out. But that's not the only reason that I called you. There's another photo you need to see._ "

Henry looked at the photo of an Asian woman with a dragon tattoo on her arm, wearing a bow and quiver and widened his eyes in disbelief. " _Shado_? But she's…"

" _Must be another doppelganger._ "

"What are we gonna do?"

* * *

**_Train to Coast City_ **

"You sure we're not gonna tell Ollie about this?" Helena asked as she sat across Barbara and Laurel.

"He's gonna get his guilt complex built up." Laurel said. "You know how he felt when our Shado was killed. He will try to save this Shado too. We need to get to the bottom of this."

" _Guys. We have a problem._ " Tatsu called over the comms.

"What's going on?" Laurel asked.

" _There are plants growing here in our wagon!_ " Selina hissed.

" _Plants_?" Barbara repeated as her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, no."

* * *

Tatsu, Mia and Selina were covering their mouths and noses as spores burst out from the door as a woman, who wore just leaves as a simple dress entered their wagon.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do  you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	17. Endgame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the adventure and how it all turns out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> This is the conclusion to the story of the Birds of Prey, since I have honestly ran out of ideas here and wanted to make this very tense.
> 
> I do not own  DC Comics  or the CW TV shows  Arrow ,  The Flash ,  Legends of Tomorrow  or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises

 

 

 

 

" _Poison Ivy_?! With us in this train?!" Laurel wailed, shocked. "What the hell is she doing here?"

"I don't know but we gotta stop her before people are gonna get hurt. Laurel, you stay here." Barbara ordered as she and Helena got up.

* * *

Selina, Tatsu and Mia were backing off as grapevines were strangling some people in suits. Tatsu grabbed her sword from underneath her seat and cut through the vines, freeing the people. Then, suddenly, the vines dropped down on the ground, seemingly dead.

"What the…" Mia whispered.

"We need to move." Selina said as Barbara and Helena entered.

Suddenly, the vines seemed to screech as they trembled and the cloud of spores dissipated.

"Get Mia out of here, we got this." Tatsu said as she and Selina entered the next wagon, where Poison Ivy was being tazed by mysterious men in grey suits and knocked down on the floor as the plants seemed to be dying.

"What the hell are you doing to her?!" Selina snarled as the men seemed to just now notice the women.

"No witnesses." One of the men ordered as he pulled out a gun but Selina and Tatsu engaged them and took them down quickly.

" _Selina_?" Ivy asked, surprised. "Not that I don't appreciate the help but what the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Selina demanded as Ivy collapsed and passed out on the floor.

"OK, that was… unexpected."

* * *

_**Later, A.R.G.U.S. compound, Coast City** _

"Thanks for keeping her here." Selina said gratefully to a doctor as Ivy was lying on the stretcher, the vines on her body dying and falling apart.

"There's some strange poison in her system. It's dissipating the enzyme that gives her chlorokinesis… she's slowly turning human but due to the poison spores already in her system…"

"She's dying." Laurel realized.

"Who did this to her?" Barbara asked.

" _John King_." The doctor explained as Selina clenched her fists and Barbara's and Mia's blood ran cold.

"I remember." Mia nodded. "Few months ago, Dad was ranting about some green bitch turning her back on her and that he made her choke on her own poison. I didn't know what the hell was he talking about."

"What was her beef with King?" Helena asked.

"I don't know exactly what happened but she turned him down. Ninth Circle doesn't often take ' _no_ ' as answer." Mia explained.

"Maybe they have a cure." Barbara suggested. "I may not like her but I don't want to see her dead." She looked at devastated Ivy in the hospital room.

* * *

"Ivy." Selina sat next to her.

" _Selina…_ "

"We can help you." Selina promised. "Just tell us who did this to you and we'll find him. Maybe he has a cure."

" _King... tower… bunker… Seattle… trans-Pacific…_ " Ivy said before she passed out, while the leaves on her body were decaying.

* * *

" _Well, damn._ " Naomi groaned. " _From what Ivy told you and from what I can gather from Felicity's hard drive, trans-Pacific railway runs from Shanghai to Seattle; it's one of the greatest architectural feats in the world. It was also a peace benefit between Markovia and the United States. It smuggled also some poison, according to Ivy's intel. Ninth Circle killed them all._ "

"My god, what are they up to?" Laurel asked.

* * *

**_Elsewhere_ **

A Vietnamese woman in green dress spilled some bucket of green liquid into a vat as a flying arrow knocked the bucket off her hand.

"I know who you are." Shado snarled. "You poisoned those people on that train. You're one of them. The White Horse of Pestilence. Or should I say, Jade Nguyen?"

"Call me  _Cheshire_." She hissed as she jumped down and pulled out her poisonous claws, attacking Shado, who blocked with her bow.

"Why kill  _everybody_?"

"The chemical cocktail, once diluted, will cause brain damage, falling of hair and skin rising into scabs." Cheshire kicked Shado back. "I was hired. Fattest paycheck I've ever earned. Nothing more."

"By  _who_?" Shado demanded but Cheshire pulled out a vial and dropped it on the ground as a poisonous cloud burst out and Shado covered her mouth and nose, running away.

* * *

**_Beneath Seattle_ **

"This is where Ivy meet them." Batgirl was walking down the catacombs with Red Arrow, Katana, Huntress and Catwoman.

" _Be careful._ " Laurel said.

"Don't worry, B.C." Huntress assured her as they reached the end of the tunnel, where was a large obelisk in the middle of the room, with torches as lighting.

"The bow and arrow are very prominent symbols in ancient myths, Mia." A woman wearing a cape said as Mia's and Batgirl's blood ran cold.

"That voice…"

" _Talia…_ "

"In other tellings, the bow is tied to the forebearers of the Roman emperors. A symbol of the skill and ingenuity with which they created the very concept of civilization and prosperity as we know it. Your father could not have done one without the other. There is something in you, Mia." Talia smiled at Mia. "Malcolm had founded the Ninth Circle's financial empire. He's where your family's legacy began and where your might end… but I hope that we can resume what I thought was a  _friendship_ … and an  _apprenticeship_."

"I never wanted to become a killer." Red Arrow snarled. "I wanted a normal life, free from crazy metas and psycho assassins but you and my Dad ruined that for me. You've worked with terrorists, had my Mom killed and destroyed my life." She fired an arrow as Talia caught it mid-air, only for the arrow to explode as Talia screamed, as the ceiling above her collapsed.

"Bitch." Catwoman snarled. "Good riddance, I say."

"Is she…" Huntress paused.

Batgirl cleared the rubble but found no corpse. "No, she bolted."

"She gave us a new life here but then, offered Dad a place in Ninth Circle." Red Arrow hissed. "It's because of her that my Mom is gone. She destroyed my family."

"You shouldn't have to kill someone in cold blood." Huntress argued. "There was a time I would have thought it was an answer but it will not change a thing, in the end."

"Maybe not… but the world is better off without her in it." Mia sneered.

* * *

**_Coast City_ **

"McKenna Hall?" A young Asian woman asked as she sat down in a café in front of her.

"Can I help you?" McKenna asked as she drank her coffee.

"You heard about the Ninth Circle?" Shado asked.

"I'm not much into conspiracy theories." McKenna sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"I know you've been looking into them, ever since John King was arrested. I have something FBI might be interested in." Shado said as she handed her a flash drive as McKenna looked intrigued, plugging the flash drive into a laptop.

"Who gave you this?"

"Ninth Circle made an offer to someone you know. Lex Luthor." McKenna raised her brows. "You know what are they capable of. He turned them down and they warned him not to resist. They may take ' _no_ ' for answer but they do not like being provoked."

"And why would Lex Luthor give you this?"

"Because I saved his life. From a member of Bratva." Shado explained. "These people funded the Court of Owls in Gotham and are behind much greater evil in the world."

* * *

**_Later, elsewhere_ **

"Is it done?" Anatoly asked in his chair.

"It's over." Shado nodded. "All your rivals are either under arrest or dead."

"And no one stands in our way."

"And the artifact is intact." Shado nodded, looking at an orb on Anatoly's table. "Once the full moon shows, we can reshape this world in our image."

"I can build a better world, and you can have back Robert… Oliver… all those people you have lost. I promised you that." Anatoly smiled. "There's no need to be afraid."

"I upheld my end of the bargain. I hope you can fulfill yours. For mine and my daughter's sake."

* * *

Shado was walking down the hall as she heard a whisper. " _Shado…_ "

She turned around and gasped. " _Oliver_? But you're…"

"What the hell are you doing in Ninth Circle?" Oliver hissed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I don't have a choice. Anatoly threatened my daughter. He's been more ruthless than Malcolm Merlyn ever was."

"You can't do this. People are dying. Me and my friends came here to stop them." Oliver pleaded as A.R.G.U.S. agents were apprehending the Ninth Circle's agents.

"Ever since Anatoly and Talia took over, the Ninth Circle has been escalating unchecked. It needs to stop. That's why I turned him in. And I need you to protect me." Shado pleaded.

"I will. I'll deal with Anatoly."

* * *

"Hello, Bruce." Talia smirked as Batman showed up in the office.

"For too long, I've been ignoring what you are because I thought we could find a way together. But what you and Ninth Circle have done is too far." Batman sneered. "Your people have hurt my friends and millions of innocent lives far too many times. It needs to stop. You have betrayed my trust far too many times to allow me to let you go. For what?"

"I don't expect you to understand." Talia sighed. "You never could. You and I are from different worlds, my love. You have your principles, Bruce, I have mine. Long time ago, I realized that power is the only currency that matters."

"And that's what this is about?" Batman growled. "Because I refused you and your father would not allow you to take your claim as the new Demon's Head, you sided with them?"

"You never appreciated our work. I wish things didn't have to end this way, my love." Talia sighed.

"I suppose it was inevitable." Batman said sadly.

"No suffering is too great for me to accomplish what I want." Talia hissed.

"Then we both know that this time you'll have to kill me."

* * *

Arsenal was fighting Cheshire as she looked intrigued. "Who are you? I've never met an even match."

Arsenal smirked as he kicked her back and she ran away as A.R.G.U.S. agents showed up.

* * *

Batgirl, Catwoman, Katana, Red Arrow and Huntress were fighting the guards as they kept rushing in at relentless waves.

* * *

"Anatoly, step away from the computer!" Oliver snarled as he aimed the arrow at Anatoly as he burst in. "I won't let you do it! Stop the launch!"

"I don't have the code, Oliver, I swear!" Anatoly pleaded as Oliver fired an arrow in his leg and he groaned as he fell down. "You shot me!"

"And I'll keep shooting until you give me what I want! You used to be an honorable man! What the hell has happened to you?!" Oliver roared. Anatoly still stared as Oliver shot another arrow in his leg. "I don't want to hurt you but I'll make you bleed to death if I have to!"

Anatoly groaned as he got up. "I never wanted this. Mass murder isn't what I signed up for. I'm just a businessman, Oliver. I just wanted some profit…"

"The man I remember, never would have put innocent lives at risk! Not even for money!" Oliver snarled, glaring as he notched another arrow.

"I'll give you the code… if you let me go. We used to be friends, Oliver." Anatoly insisted.

* * *

" _3-9-8-Alpha-6-Tango-4-7._ " Oliver said as Henry plugged his laptop into a mainframe.

"Come on, come on…"

Batgirl was typing rapidly on the keyboard as the countdown stopped. "Launch aborted."

* * *

"I'm sorry, my love but I cannot let you complicate my life anymore." Talia sneered as she swished her sword but Batman blocked with his gauntlets. She stabbed Batman in the stomach as he groaned and knelt down. "It might not matter anymore but I love you."

Batman kicked Talia back as she stumbled and fell on roof window as it cracked, at big height.

"The glass won't hold you, Talia." Batman pleaded. "Come back, Talia. Take my hand."

Talia stared at Batman for a moment. "Goodbye, Bruce." She kicked the glass as she fell, dozens of stories down as she hit the ground. Batman stared down, sad.

* * *

**_Few months later, Gotham City_ **

Henry was sitting near his sister, who was in an induced coma before he looked up as an old friend approached him. " _Caitlin_?"

"Hey, Henry." Caitlin smiled. "It's been a while."

"What happened to your hair?" Henry gasped as he noticed that Caitlin had stark white hair.

"It's… a long story. I came here to help your sister."

* * *

**_Seven years later_ **

A little girl was building a sandcastle on a beach in front of a house as she noticed a man in suit and holding a briefcase and a red-haired woman wearing glasses approaching her as she turned around, yelling. "Daddy!"

Oliver went out as the girl rushed at Henry and Barbara, who hugged her. "Uncle Hank! Aunt Barbara!"

"Ashley, come here! How are you, honey?" He kissed her on her cheek.

"Deputy chief Fyff." Oliver chuckled as he shook his hand with Henry.

"Ollie, you know that between us the things can be informal." Barbara smiled as she and Henry hugged him and Oliver returned the gesture back.

"It's good to see you, Henry. Was it hard to find us?"

"Are you kidding? It was impossible to find this place." Henry laughed. "I almost had to ask Bruce for help."

"I guess we picked the right place." Oliver laughed back as Laurel went out, with a baby boy in her arms.

"Hey, strangers."

"Hi, Laurel." Henry kissed her on her cheek as Laurel returned the gesture back. Then, they looked at the baby boy in her arms as Barbara smiled. "And this little champion is…"

"Connor." Laurel said. "Connor, say ' _hi_ ' to Uncle Henry and Aunt Barbara."

"He's cute."

"Hi, Connor." Henry smiled. Then, from the kitchen went out a blonde woman, who ran to Henry and hugged him tightly before she kissed him fiercely. "I missed you too, Sara."

"Yeah." Sara nodded.

"We all did." Nicole suddenly showed up and pounded Henry in the shoulder. "You grew up."

"You doing a family cook here?" Henry teased.

"I need to make sure that Laurel doesn't burn the house down." Nicole said. "Come on in, we're about to have lunch."

Ashley ran into her room, playing as Oliver, Sara, Laurel, Barbara, Henry and Nicole sat down at the desk.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is not just a friendly visit?" Laurel teased.

"Actually, we might need a small help in the field. Selina went on honeymoon with Bruce, Helena's on another mission with Dick and Tatsu and we can't just pull them out and Mia can't do this alone with me." Barbara nodded.

"Yesterday, someone broke into a research facility in Paris. I need someone to catch the buyer and get a potential witness to testify. And we need your help." Henry supplied.

"By the way, this could be personal to you, Ollie." Barbara put a photo on the desk.

" _Anatoly._ " Oliver growled as he looked at Laurel.

"Don't look at me, you're the one, who let him go."

* * *

Ashley was putting some glasses in the row on her table.

* * *

"Mission specs have already been gone through. Low risk consideration. Just a routine assignment, could be fun." Henry assured Laurel, who laughed.

"Just like old times, Laurel." Barbara chuckled.

"That's what you two say every time you show up at my doorstep, Henry Fyff and Barbara Gordon." Laurel mocked. "But the next thing either of us knows, we're in our heels, jumping over the rooftops as everything around us explodes in flames."

"That's how do I define ' _routine_ ' and ' _fun_ '." Henry chuckled as Laurel and Oliver laughed.

"Let's have this conversation after lunch." Oliver said as he got up from the sofa.

"Who cooked? Nicky?" Henry asked.

"I did." Laurel corrected.

"I thought your cooking sucks." Henry said as someone smacked him on his head from behind. He turned around and laughed to see Sara.

"Hey. Be nice to my sister." Henry got up and kissed her as they let the moment sink in, while Oliver and Laurel stared and Barbara rolled her eyes before they let the moment pass. "Yeah, and wait until you see the sunset. Here on the beach it's worth it."

"Ashley, come on out, we're going to have a walk!" Laurel yelled.

* * *

Ashley was singing a tune as the glass cracked before she heard her mother yell as she went out.

* * *

"I thought I heard a canary." Laurel teased. "What were you doing there?" She asked her daughter.

"Nothing." Ashley smiled as at the beach were already sitting Thea and Roy, who stood up and hugged Henry and Barbara.

"Hey." Roy smiled.

"I could have sworn I heard a canary in Ashley's room." Thea muttered.

"I think you're just hearing things." Oliver said.

They all were watching the sunset as Sara held Henry's hand. "There was something I wanted to tell you before I left again with Ollie." Henry turned to Sara as he saw she was holding her stomach as it was slowly growing as it hit him.

"You  _are_ …"

"I am." Sara nodded.

"And…" Henry trailed off.

"It's yours." Sara smiled as Henry laughed, happiness and joy taking him over as they kissed.

Then, Oliver, Laurel, their daughter Ashley and son Connor, Thea, Roy, Henry, Barbara, Sara and Nicole and her son Riley were watching the sunset on the beach, enjoying the peaceful moment with their friends and family before they were about to head towards new adventures.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end to my story Birds of Prey. Sorry to cut it so short but I figured, Laurel was almost due and I just could not see her balance being a mother and be the B.C. at the same time, so I wanted to put a quick end to it and I was running out of ideas.
> 
> But don't worry, I have planned other stories as sequels to THE DAR(H)K WAR, one of them with Tommy Merlyn as new guardian of Star City and one with Oliver and Legends of Tomorrow but it's gonna be a while before I get it rolling, due to my current schedule and college
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the story to its end.


End file.
